Beijing Today (July 11, 2003)

Chaoyang Park west gate is these days a serious rival for Sanlitun Bar Street.

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FRIDAY JULY 11 2003

“It was the best time, good friends playing songs we loved and practicing our own songs all day.”

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“The cost of living in Beijing is definitely higher than in New York!”

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Reform Challenges University Spirit X

By Xiao Rong u Xiangdong seems to take the proposals in the controversial reform rather calmly, though he is among those who will be the direct targets of the proposed “upor-out” system.

“I myself am reasonably confident of qualifying in the possible future competition.

But most of my colleagues who are assistant or associate professors share a common pressure facing the new rule,” says Xu, an assistant professor of the Philosophy Department.

According to Xu, several of his colleagues feel threatened and are worried that the reforms will lead to an increasing pragmatism in terms of choice of research topics.

“Apart from those who are simply afraid of competition, there are many who just want a peaceful environment in which to carry out creative research. A fellow teacher in my office even plans to leave Beijing University.”

Xu approves the guideline of the draft plan that focuses on stimulating competition, although he views the plan as a simple imitation of the US tenure-track system. One of the key problems, he says, is the need for an impartial and objective academic assessment system to guarantee the promotion of genuinely talented teachers.

“Although those who drafted the plan are mostly returning overseas professors, they have not, in fact, gotten a complete understanding of the tenure system in world class universities,” says Xu, who received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and came to Beijing University last year.

Professor Liu Dong from the Chinese Department echoes Xu’s comment, adding that the plan was framed from the perspective of economists, and lacks a basic understanding of the real elements that constitute a university.

“There is no humanism in the plan, nor does it reflect a real respect for the tradition of Beijing University or show a real understanding for its future development,” comments Liu. As a professor, Liu will win tenure automatically under the reform. Despite this, he expresses regret at the possibility that the unique academic atmosphere of Beijing University might be lost.

“Some of the young teachers in my department complained they would have to comply with the competition rule of publishing more works to win promotion and avoid being dismissed,” Liu continues. “In this case, the original academic ecosystem in

Beijing University will be spoiled. It’s like bargaining at a free market, where the exchange of knowledge is evolving into material exchanges.”

Liu suggests the plan should take into consideration differences in the academic disciplines, especially the humanities, which have been a traditional strong point of Beijing University.

“If we are not allowed to recruit our own students in the future, most of them, especially undergraduates, will have no option but to go abroad to gain better academic qualifications.”

Xu Xiangdong adds, “It’s desirable for Beijing University to avoid academic ‘inbreeding’ by refusing to accept its own graduates, but only when other universities take similar measures, can an open academic environment in China be created.”

Considering the diversity of different academic fields, Chen Ping, professor at the China Center for Economic Research (CCER), suggests the university authority should organize a reform team in each school or department for better implementation of the plan, since any successful reform is driven by a reform-minded team rather than consensus.

“The reform within a young system will usually prove to be easier than a reform in an old system,” says Chen. CCER, a relatively new department of Beijing University, has actually been practicing the up-or-out system since its foundation.

In the view of Chen, the reform is essential, given that the field of higher education is one of the last bastions of the planned economy.

“Beijing University is facing a restructuring from an teaching-oriented university to a research-oriented university. This task can not succeed in the absence of an open and competitive academic personnel system.”

Chen does not agree that the reform will have an unfavorable impact on the development of humanities or other traditional disciplines.

“The vitality of any academic field lies in its open competition within the field and communication with other disciplines, both domestically and internationally.”

The tenure-track system does not judge the academic achievements of a scholar totally from a market-oriented perspective, but gives those who have proven themselves qualified the honor of tenure, Chen adds.

“Those scholars who enjoy the free academic atmosphere of Beijing University should transform themselves from the role of an admirer of Beijing University spirit to real competitors.”

Bring on the Competition

By Xiao Rong A proposed teaching staff reform at Beijing University aimed at introducing a tenure-track system continues to be the subject of intense debate among teachers and students since it was first raised in May. The first draft plan for the reform was released on May 12, calling for public comment and suggestions. The university authority published a second edition on June 16 for further discussion on the campus.

Described as the most radical proposal of its kind since the 105-year-old university launched in 1917 its first reform to promote academic freedom, the reform is intended to help build Beijing University into a world first-class university, according to its authors.

Based on an explanation of the reform posted on the university website by chief author Professor Zhang Weiying, the key elements can be summed up as follows.

Teachers will be employed and classified based on their academic achievements.

Specifically, assistant professors and associate professors will sign a fixed-term contract with the university, during which period they can apply no more than twice for promotion. Those who fail to gain promotion will be dismissed when their contracts expire, while tenure will be granted to those who win the title of professor.

A competitive system will be adopted among the various schools or departments. Those who fail to achieve a good ranking in their field nationwide will be first warned, and if they fail to improve, dismissed.

All employment and promotion vacancies will be open to outside applicants.

Students of Beijing University may not be directly employed as teaching staff upon graduation.

A judging panel comprised of professors will be established in each school, to be responsible for employment of teaching staff and promotions.

“The ultimate goal of Beijing University’s reform is that all of our lifetime professors will become first-class scholars,” declared university party secretary Min Weifang during a China Central Television report last Sunday.

The case for

Online dissent

“The quality of our teaching staff is crucial in helping Beijing University become a world first-class university. Our scholars are excellent on an average level in China, but as one of China’s oldest universities, we should make sure that all our professors are, at least at home, first-class scholars in their fields.

“Workers can be laid off, government officials can lose their posts as a result of recent reforms, why should university teachers, the most welleducated group in our society, be exempt from such competition?

“Choosing truly qualified scholars and successfully stimulating their creativity are two basic requirements for a research-oriented university. The ‘up-or-out’ system is just the key.

“The reform needs a stable environment in which to be implemented.

We need to perform the surgery in mid-race. This is why those who have already gained professorship are not affected by the reform. We can at least guarantee that all newly employed scholars at Beijing University will be first-class candidates.”

— Zhang Weiying, assistant to the president of Beijing University, vice director of the Guanghua School of Management

Publication of the draft on the university website has attracted a barrage of criticism.

Some of the most frequently raised objections follow: “The rejection of Beijing University graduates is a waste of talent and will only result in their going abroad to pursue higher degrees.”

“Why not first conduct a reform in the administrative system?

Without efficient and transparent academic administration, the reform on the teaching staff will not succeed.”

“Some professors are not as qualified as assistant or associate professors, based on the former academic assessment system, so the professors as a group should not be exempt from the reform.”

“It is unfair that assistant or associate professors become the direct target of the reform when there is no sound social welfare system to protect their interests.”

“The assessment panel of professors should have more power in academic appraisal and really dominate the academic management work of the university.”

Photo by Yao Yujiang

Ancient Human Bones Unearthed

By Zeng Wei / Ivy Zhang keleton fossils of a male believed to have lived 25,000 years ago were unearthed in mid June, five kilometers south of Zhoukoudian, southwest of Beijing.

Skull fossils, which carry the most detailed archeological information, are not among the new finds, meaning there remains much potential for important discoveries in future excavations, according to representatives of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing municipal government speaking at a press conference Monday.

A team from Beijing Tianyuan Forest Farm made the initial discovery by chance in the spring of 2001, while looking for a likely place to dig a well. “It is a dark cave.

We could see nothing inside.

The entrance is large enough for only one person to pass through at a time. When we got in, we could see water dripping. Our first thought was that we had found water at last,” said farm manager Tian Xiumei.

Tian says she never expected the search for water would lead to an archeological find. They began to dig inside the cave, but when the hole was only one meter deep, one of the workers struck a bone with his spade. The deeper they dug, the more bones they found.

“Being near the Zhoukoudian (Peking Man) site, we thought it was possible they might be of archaeological significance,” says Tian. She took some of the bones to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Anthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where they were confirmed to be fossils.

In early June this year, archeologists began excavating Tianyuan Cave. A total of 26 animal fossils were found, including deer, hedgehog and monkey.

In mid June, the first human fossil was found, and since then, numerous bones, all likely to have be-

S

longed to an adult male, including a section of jaw bone with teeth, arm and shoulder bones, thighbones, and vertebrae, have been unearthed.

Like the Peking Man and Shandingdong Man (Upper Cave Man) found in the 1920’s around the same vicinity, the fossils are of a Tianyuan Man, who is believed to differ only slightly from modern humans.

The Upper Cave Man discoveries, which helped illustrate how homo erectus evolved from the ape, was a major step in the development of the theory of human origin and evolution. However, those fossilized skulls were lost during Japan’s invasion of China in 1937.

“The sites where Tianyuan Man was found is close to where the Upper Cave Man was found and they are from the same period. These two should have been closely related,” said Wu Xinzhi of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Anthropology.

“The new find makes up for the loss of the Upper Cave Man fossils. It is the only known human fossil evidence of the Upper Cave Man period in Beijing.”

The period in which Tianyuan Man lived, some 20,000 to 100,000 years ago, was a crucial time for human evolution, in east Asia in particular. It was during this period that humans developed their skill in producing tools and the ability to perform labor, says Wu. However, the excavation is just beginning, Wu insists. “At the excavation site of the cave, no skull fossil fragments have been found so far, which means the skull fossils of Tianyuan Man might still be intact. It might still be in the cave, waiting to be found by archeologists.”

The entire site has not yet been completely exposed. “We are ready to make new important discoveries at any time. Then again, we might find nothing more,” says Wu.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: ZHANG XIAOXIA EDITOR: XIAO RONG DESIGNER: LI SHI

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EDITOR: XIAO RONG YU SHANSHAN

Three Chinese Sites Added to World Heritage List

By Zhao Pu Two ancient mausoleums from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and a tri-river area rich in natural resources in China were listed as World Heritage Sites last Thursday at the 27th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee held in Paris. With the additions, China now boasts 29 sites on the World Heritage List.

The Ming Tombs, holding 13 Ming emperors and 23 empresses built outside Beijing from the 15th to the 17th centuries, is China’s best-protected tomb group, said Cao Pengcheng, head of the Ming Tombs Office of Changping District.

The imperial Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is the burial site of the first Ming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398) and his empress. It is the first World Heritage Site in this ancient city, which served as the capital of six dynasties.

The architecture of the Xiaoling Mausoleum had significant

influence on subsequent emperors’ tombs in the Ming and Qing dynasties, according to Yi Zhiqiang, an official with the city’s bureau of cultural relics.

The final addition to the list was the area of the confluence of three major rivers, the Nujiang, Lancang and Jinsha, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. The area, covering 41,000 square kilometers and stretching to the south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is famous for its peculiar physiognomy and biological diversity.

The second largest heritage site in the world, the tri-river area is composed of nine nature reserves and 10 scenic spots. Ancient forests, snow-covered mountains and hundreds of lakes are spread throughout the area, which has 118 mountains above the altitude of 5,000 meters. Despite covering only 0.4 percent of China’s territory, the area is home to over 20 percent of the country’s national advanced botanical species and 25 percent of its animal species. At

Two workers repair an ancient hall in the Ming Tombs in the suburbs of Beijing.

Photo by Photocome

present, 34 plant species and 77 animal species living in the area are under state protection.

A total of 24 new cultural and natural sites all over the world were put on the list by the 27th UNESCO committee session, held from June 30 to July 5. To date, 754 sites have been included on the World Heritage List, including 582 cultural sites, 149 natural sites and 23 which fit both categories.

China’s 29 sites on the list include four natural sites, 21 cultural sites and four which are both.

The most famous sites include the Great Wall, Mount Taishan, the Mogao Grottoes, the Potala Palace and the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian in suburban Beijing. At the meeting, the committee decided Suzhou, a scenic destination in Jiangsu Province, would be host to its 28th session in 2004.

Design B07

Final Decision Pending for 2008 Swimming Center

By Yu Shanshan The public has spoken regarding the National Swimming Center, as around 3,200 visitors that attended a three-day show of the ten candidate designs for the facility at the International Convention Center starting July 3 chose their three favorite plans.

According to Li Qizhi from the public relations office of Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co., owner of the swimming center and organizer of the National Swimming Center Architecture Design Competition, an expert evaluation panel will take the public’s choices into consideration when they make their final decision on the design of the facility before mid-August.

An estimated 890 million yuan will be invested in the swimming center, construction of which is slated to start in December and be completed by the end

Design B10

Design B04

of 2006.

On July 1, an evaluation panel made up of 15 architects, engineers, Olympic experts and government officials announced their selections from an evaluation process run June 20 to 28 in Boao, Hainan province. They chose designs B04, by a consortium of China State Construction Engineering Corporation, PTW Architects and Ove Arup Pty. Ltd. of Australia, B07, by Shanghai Xiandai Architectural Design (Group) Co. and B10, by Rafael Vinoly Architects PC of the US. The design competition began on January 15, with a total of 33 design institutes and consortia from 13 countries and regions, including China, Japan, France, Britain, Germany, Australia and the US, entering plans before the February 20 deadline. The first short list of ten candidates was named on March 14.

Children Chock Full of Antibodies

Greek Student Expresses Gratitude to Beijing

By Sun Ming A recent survey conducted around the country indicates that over 40 percent of all children below 14 years old in China may carry antibodies capable of fighting SARS. For the survey, 249 children, none of whom are SARS patients, were checked.

The Capital Children Medical Institute announced the results of the survey last Wednesday.

The survey also shows that antibody-positive rates decrease with age. The rate among children under one-year-old is 54 percent, but in children ages six to 14, the rate drops to 33 percent. The institute also tested blood from 80 adults, finding none that carry the antibodies.

“Only 2.7 percent of SARS patients were children below 14 years old in Beijing and there were no deaths in that age group. That’s why we launched the survey,” Ban Yanping from the news office of the Capital Children Medical Institute told

By Hong Lei The Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipality received a letter last Wednesday from a Greek student named Georgios Spyropoulos who was in the city during the SARS outbreak. In the letter, Spyropoulos describes his feelings during that time and his wishes for the best for China.

Below is a reprint of excerpts from his letter: Dear Sir or Madam: I am a Greek student, studying Chinese Language at Beijing Language and Culture University since the 28th of February of this year.

During the SARS period I stayed out of campus and studied by myself as the university was temporarily closed. These two months I sincerely recognized and respected the courageous and endless Chinese spirit that can overcome any difficulty. Furthermore I felt quite safe and secure with the measures that had been already taken by the government to prevent the spread of the disease. In my way of thinking China’s battle against SARS is something that will remain in history.

All this time since February I studied very hard and I found the Chinese lan-

Beijing Today on Tuesday.

In May, the institute first tested blood samples from 92 children, all of whom were inpatients in a subordinate hospital between April and May. “None of them were SARS patients, but 40.2 percent of them tested positive for SARSfighting antibodies,” said Ban, “Our hospital usually keeps blood samples from all patients to meet the needs of the institute’s medical research.”

The institute then tested blood samples from another 157 young inpatients treated in 2001, the results showing that again over 40 percent had antibodies that can resist SARS. Tong Ben, director of the institute, said that researchers are still investigating why children have shown such high SARS antibody rates.

“We can’t draw a final conclusion that the younger a child is, the higher his or her antibody rate will be,” said Tong “Many questions still need to be answered.”

guage very difficult but at the same time very beautiful and challenging to learn. I have started to understand the meaning and orientation of the Chinese characters that truly demonstrate the magnitude of your culture. The good results came to confirm my hard efforts as since the 28th of June I have successfully passed the first semester exams, the only international student from my class of students at the level. This result would never be possible without the help of the Chinese students that despite the situation they met with me daily at the university’s east gate to help me with the language.

I strongly believe that China is a safe country to visit and I shall try to do my best to inform the Greek people when I return to Greece. I am thinking to stay until the end of July to practice and improve my Chinese. Thus, from August I would like to invite a team of Chinese people to come in Greece and stay at my country house. I will make it a personal matter that you visit the most important places and make sure that you will learn everything about the common characteristics of the two civilizations.

Yours sincerely, Georgios Spyropoulos

DESIGNER: LI SHI

Estimates of China’s GDP Growth Still High

By Dong Nan Yao Jingyuan, chief economist of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, told Singapore newspaper Zaobao in an interview on Wednesday that despite the influence of the SARS outbreak in the first half of the year, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate should stay above eight percent for the whole of 2003.

Formal economic data for the country in the first half of this year will be released by the National Bureau of Statistics on July 17, but already some scholars from the Development Research Center of the State Council have claimed that China’s GDP growth rate for the first half of 2003 should be 8.3 to 8.5 percent, a number Yao called quite feasible.

According to Yao, the national GDP grew by 9.9 percent in the

first quarter of 2003 and if not for the SARS crisis, the annual figure would have been around nine percent. Moreover, as the epidemic was restricted to certain areas and quickly brought under control, its negative impact on the economy should not be as disastrous as some expected.

He pointed out that unlike natural disasters such as earthquakes, the SARS epidemic influenced the country’s consumption mentality rather than its consumption ability. As tangible assets were not damaged, the economy began to recover as soon as the public panic subsided. Moreover, thanks to the strength shown by the Chinese government in dealing with the SARS crisis, Yao expects little drop in the confidence of international investors in the domestic market.

IOC Invites Chinese Companies to TOP

By Shan Jinliang Marketing officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an official invitation to Chinese companies last Thursday to become The Olympic Partners (TOP), worldwide sponsors of the committee and the 2004 Olympic Games.

In an interview with the Xinhua News Agency in Prague, capital of Czech Republic, Gerhard Heiberg, chairman of the IOC Marketing Commission, said that Chinese companies have shown deep interest in Olympic marketing, which is vitally important to the success of the Beijing Olympics.

The chairman said the commission was in talks with Chinese companies that could become TOPs, but refused to give greater detail.

A few major domestic companies are carefully considering working as TOPs in order to introduce their brands to the international market. Haier Group Advertising Department Director Hu Xia told China Central

Television last Saturday, “We are studying Olympic sponsorship and will release our decision on how to pursue sponsorship in late July or August.” Hu added the company would conduct further studies of the marketing plans of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.

Leading computer maker Lenovo Group’s public relations firm Blue Focus told Beijing Today on Wednesday that if one of the 10 domestic TOP partners is from the information industry, Lenovo is sure to be it.

The 2004 Athens Olympics raised its TOP fee to $60 million, which may prove to be one of two obstacles facing Chinese companies. “Two possible difficulties might arise, one is a lack of capital and the other a lack of promoting experience,” said Cai Junwu, consultant with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee Marketing Department. Aside from sponsorship fee, companies would have to prepare a few times more money for other promotions, he added.

Old Market Awaits Renaissance

By Zhao Pu After half a year’s preparations, the restoration plan for the Dashilan market area was unveiled by the Xuanwu District government last week. The plan calls for the establishment of the “Dashilan National Essence Commercial Zone” on the basis of the 600-year-old commercial district, enhancing its status as the old market area with the largest collection of historic Chinese brands in the capital.

Located south of the Qianmen area, the ancient market occupies over 20 hectares. Besides prosperous Dashilan Street, the major business thoroughfare in the area, the plan also covers other eight parallel roads to the north and south of that street.

“Dashilan Street will keep its original cultural and architectural flavor as a commercial center of old brands such as Ton-

grentang (a pharmacy), Neiliansheng (a shoe store) and Ruifuxiang (a silk store). The eight parallel routes, historically thriving places for shopping and entertainment, will be built into eight special commercial streets,” said Li Yan from the Dashilan Restoration Plan Office under the Xuanwu District government on Monday.

Dashilan Street dates back some 600 years to the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). At first, its four lanes were lined with residences and shops, but later it became a significant commercial zone during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when the street was home to around 80 stores. Fences erected at the entrances and exits of these lanes stayed in place until the 1930s and were the source of the area’s name, which literally translates to “big fence”.

Unlabeled GM Food Targeted

By Shan Jinliang Last Thursday, the Beijing Bureau of Agriculture proved rumors of large supplies of genetically modified (GM) food products in downtown Beijing to be true and discovered only two such products, salad oils made outside the city, were properly labeled in a few supermarkets in Dongcheng District.

The confirmation was the result of three months of investigations in the local market, launched on March 13, the first provincial-level check into GM food products conducted in China.

The two labeled GM food products found were pure soybean oil made by Tianjin Beihai Food Company and Gold Ingot brand soybean salad made by Shenzhen Nanshun Oil Industrial Company. The bureau said all of the other 22 samples of soybean products checked were proven to have GM ingredients, but none wore GM labels.

Two years ago, the State

Bureau of Agriculture issued a special requirement that all food products with GM ingredients, whether produced in China or overseas, must be clearly labeled as such.

At a press release held last Saturday in Beijing, the local bureau gave warnings to nine companies that failed to label their GM soybean oil products.

Among the brands found not in compliance with the national regulation were such wellknown names as Jinlongyu, Hongdeng, Fortune and Gold Ingots, which hold a total 90 percent share of the city’s market.

The bureau ordered the immediate halt of production and sales of the named improper products and warned the nine companies to start tagging their GM products before July 18 or face fines of 10,000 to 50,000 yuan above losses incurred by the confiscation of income generated by sales of the illegal products.

DEVELOPMENT

JULY 11, 2003

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EDITOR: ZHAO XIAOXIA SHAN JINLIANG DESIGNER: LI SHI

E-mail: zhangxx@ynet.com

Employees Purchase Shoujian Subsidiary

Front: Wang Shaohua, Liu Cunping, Fu Lai, Yang Guofang, Zhou Peijie Back: Sun Peigao, Gao Yong, Ouyang Beilong, Zhao Yongjie, Yang Shengli, Photo by Bqb Yang Xibao

By Fan Haitao / Tony Shaw Shoujian Group, or Capital Steel Construction Group, one of the capital’s largest stateowned enterprises, has seen the first privatization of a subsidiary company, Beijing Jianye Hongda

Auto Repair Company.

Seventeen employees of Jianye Hongda completed purchasing all the shares of the company on June 26, an accomplishment that general manager Sun Peigao described as “exhausting” in

an interview with Beijing Youth Daily last Monday.

Sun, a former workshop director at Jianye Hongda, becomes the largest shareholder, with a 43.5 percent stake.

Jianye Hongda was established in July 1998, jointly invested by Shoujian Group and Shoulihua Industrial and Trade Company, with Shoujian holding a 60 percent investment.

Sun was appointed general manager of the company in 1998, and in one year, increased the capital flow from 130,000 yuan to 6 million yuan. His subsequent request to privatize the company was rejected by Shoujian Group.

In 2002, the State Commission of Economy and Trade and other departments issued a notice allowing compensation for employees of state-owned companies that were privatized. At the same time, Shoujian Group declared its intention to privatize its subsidiary companies and raised Jianye Hongda as a model company for privatization.

According to Sun, the most

difficulty aspect of the torturous process was changing the mindset of employees whose only working experience was in the state-owned enterprise environment.

Used to the idea of depending on the work unit for all needs, even after retirement, there were widespread fears about how the change would affect retirement pensions.

“It was the shared worry among employees,” Sun recalled.

He reassured the workers, promising to raise their incomes, and telling them they could buy as many shares in the company as they wished.

Finally, a group of 17 employees of the company’s overall 50 ones purchased all the stateowned shares, for a total of just over 1,100,000 yuan.

Soon after the privatization process was completed, Sun was told on June 30 that Jianye Hongda would be unable to serve its former boss, Shoujian Group, which contributes two thirds of Jianye Hongda’s business.

Sun said he had begun to realize the problem long before that and intended to shake off the reliance on his former state-owned boss, but he still hoped to retain the big client with good service.

Sun says his chief concern is the qualifications of the employ-

Jianye Hongda shareholders Name Sun Peigao Zhao Yongjie Wang Yonghua Li Hongyuan Yang Xibao Yng Shengli Yang Guofang Liu Cunping Fu Lai Feng Yuxi Zhang Wudong Ouyang Beilong Zhou Peijie Gao Yong Wang Baolong Liu Mengxiong Huang Shengdi

QFII Bonanza

By Ivy Zhang / Shan Jinliang China’s Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges saw a jump in performance yesterday following the purchase of shares in four A-listed companies by Swiss-based investment bank UBS AG, China’s first approved qualified foreign institutional investor (QFII).

Shares in the four companies – ZTE Corp, Shanghai Port Container, Baoshan Iron and Steel and Sinotrans Air — rose by between four and eight percent.

Beijing Youth Daily analyst Wang Fang commented yesterday that the first deals made by UBS AG were just a means to test the water in China’s Ashare markets, and the four shares are only a small section of the markets.

She said UBS AG could not wholly represent the full investment concept or the direction of QFII. UBS was approved the first QFII by the China Securities Regulatory Commission on May 26 this year and granted a 300 million US dollars investment line by SAFE on June 6.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) has granted Morgan Stanley a US $300 million quota to invest in China’s stock market as a QFII. It is the fourth foreign financial institution to be granted a specific investment quota after receiving a license from China Securities Regulatory Commission.

To date, the total foreign investment quota approved by the administration is $725 million. Prior to Morgan Stanley, UBS AG of Switzerland received a quota of $7.5 million for maximum investment, while the quota for Japan’s Nomura Securities was set at $50 million and CitiBank $75 million.

Goldman Sachs has received a license recently while several other applicants are awaiting approval from China Securities Regulatory Commission.

At a press conference held in Beijing in March, Jonathan Zhu, managing director of Morgan Stanley, said that QFII investors would focus on corporations with good investment return. The foreign investors would face three major risks when entering China’s market, namely, restrictions on the amount of capital, restrictions on the kinds of investment products and the potential risks due to lack of a good understanding of the market.

China’s stock market has become one of the largest and most dynamic markets in the Asian Pacific region over the past 10 plus years.

In an emerging market like China where the currency cannot be converted freely, foreign investment might have a negative influence on the stock market.

Through the QFII scheme, the Chinese government might be able to restrict the influence of foreign capital on the domestic economy while pushing forward reform of its domestic capital market.

Rules governing QFIIs were published late last year, and in March this year China appointed a number of custodian banks authorized to open accounts for the QFIIs.

ees. At a shareholders meeting last month, a board of directors and supervisors were elected, but one newly elected supervisor, Yang Xibao confessed to having little understanding about the role of a supervisor, as he knew little about corporate law.

Years of Position Percentage employment of shares 21 workshop director 43.52 30 welder 6.98 30 dispatcher 6.86 30 crane driver 6.14 28 car repairer 6.10 30 driver 5.60 25 driver 5.16 21 driver 4.23 24 locksmith 3.92 18 driver 3.34 15 electrician 1.72 11 car repairer 1.58 15 driver 1.45 8 car repairer 1.09 7 crane driver 1.01 7 car repairer 0.86 5 electrician 0.44

Six Products Lose EU Preferential Status

Wal-Mart Makes Last Throw

By Shan Jinliang International retail giant WalMart can celebrate a “double happiness” this week, with the official opening of its first Beijing store today, following its being named the new leader of Fortune’s Global 500 on Monday.

Wal-Mart China Public Affairs director Xu Jun says the new store, a members only Sam’s Club, will have no trouble attracting consumers, as it is located in a high density commercial environment and offers some 1,200 parking spaces, an important consideration for Beijing’s growing number of drivers.

Located by the Western Fifth Ring Road, in Shijingshan District, Sam’s Club has a larger floor space than most downtown supermarkets.

Only 500 meters away is one of Wal-Mart’s biggest rivals, PriceSmart, but the retailer shifted its business model from a membership store to a shopping mall open to all in May. Media analysts say PriceSmart took the step to avoid direct

Photos by Lou Ge

confrontation with the world No.1 retailer.

Membership issues Wal-Mart began promoting its membership cards, which cost 150 yuan per year, from early this April.

Some analysts, however, predict trouble for the retail giant in attracting members.

A survey by A C Nielson last year found that Chinese buyers tend to be less loyal to stores than their American counterparts. This could account for the apparent lack of success here of PriceSmart. Makro now charges only two yuan for its membership cards, while PriceSmart is moving from membership

shopping to ordinary retailing.

Despite such findings, Wal-Mart said last month it was satisfied with sales of its membership cards.

Strong Competition Wal-Mart is listed eighth among the joint venture retailers operating in China, with sales revenue of six million yuan. French-based Carrefour is the leader, with an annual sales revue of 12 billion yuan in 2002.

Wal-Mart has been losing money since it entered China seven years ago, while Carrefour has seen profits in recent years, thanks largely to its strategy of collecting channel fees from suppliers.

Wal-Mart had reportedly vowed to start turning a profit in China from this year, and sources near the company said the success of Beijing’s first store will be decisive in Wal-Mart’s expansion in China.

Industry analyst Ke Yan says Wal-Mart has kept a low profile in China to date, but its world image and strength should not be underestimated.

Foreign Exchange Approval Granted to 24 Insurers

By Li Sha The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) has granted 24 Chinese and foreign insurance companies permission to deal in foreign exchange insurance. According to the regulations, eligible residents and enterprises are allowed to take out life and property insurance with these companies.

Among the 24 insurers, nine are mainland-funded, the remaining 15 are foreign-funded and joint ventures.

According to an official from SAFE, the list of approved companies will be renewed and publicized every three months.

Foreign exchange insurance refers to the commercial insurance that could be transacted using foreign currency. According to the Provincial Regulation of Insurance Business and Foreign Exchange Administration issued in September 2002, insurance companies seeking to engage in foreign exchange business must apply to the SAFE for a business license.

The full list of 24 companies is as follows: China Life Insurance; Meiya Insurance (Shanghai); Meiya Insurance (Foshan); Meiya Insurance (Shenzhen); US Deposit Federal Insurance (Shanghai); Prudential Life Insurance; New China Life Insur-

ance; Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance (Shanghai); Mitsui Marine and Fire Insurance, (Shanghai); China Export and Credit Insurance; China Pacific Property Insurance; China Pacific Life Insurance; China Pacific Insurance; Huatai Property Insurance; Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance (Shanghai); Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance (Shanghai); Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance; People’s Insurance of China; Sun and Life Financial Insurance; US AIA Insurance (Shenzhen); Tian’an Insurance; Hong Kong Ming An Insurance (Shenzhen); Winterthur Insurance (Shanghai) and China Life CMG.

By Helen Hong The European Union recently announced that

by May 2004, six categories of products from China will “graduate” from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) of the European Union. This means that these six categories will lose the benefit of the tariff preference for exporting to the EU and the new tariff will be raised from 3.5 percent to 5 percent.

According to a press release from the EU delegation in China, of the 175 countries or territories currently benefiting from the system, China has obtained the greatest benefit, which is the justification for the graduation.

The EU says it is trying to make the transition as smooth as possible. The process will be carried out in two stages, with 50 percent of the tariff benefit to be removed from November 1, and the remainder in May 2004.

According to Zhao Jinping, researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), the reason the EU is terminating GSP on these products is closely related to the EU and China’s economic background.

The economy of the EU has faced slow growth and many difficulties in recent years. On the other hand, China’s products have always been competitive and occupied a significant portion of the EU market.

The move, says Zhao, is aimed at protecting the development of EU countries’ domestic industry, increase exports in foreign trade, decrease the unfavorable balance of trade, thus helping the growth of the domestic economy.

The GSP is a preferential tariff extended to developing countries by developed nations. It is nondiscriminatory, and benefits only one party. Now the exports tariff of the GSP is about one third lower than that of the most-favored-nation. The United States does not extend GSP to China. Since April 1, Japan has implemented new policies in China, making three categories of products graduate from the GSP. The six categories of products named by the EU are edible products of animal origin; plastics and rubber; paper; electro-mechanics; consumer electronics; and optical devices and clocks.

Siemens to Build New Office Tower in Beijing Siemens is to invest 100 million euro in building a new office mansion in the national capital of Beijing, visiting Siemens Chairman Heinrich von Pierer said.

Von Pierer announced the move on Tuesday during a meeting with Beijing acting mayor Wang Qishan.

The project, the largest of its kind launched by Siemens in recent years, is an indication of the German company’s confidence in China’s economic development, according to von Pierer.

Siemens also plans to further research and develop its mobile telecommunication technologies in Beijing, as well as to pitch in the construction of local rail transportation and Olympics-related infrastructure.

Mayor Wang said China is in need of a growing number of high-tech products for its industrialization and rapid economic development. High-tech enterprises such as Siemens are welcome to establish their operations in Beijing, he added.

(Xinhua)

4

OUTLOOK

JULY 11, 2003

E-mail: feonazh@ynet.com

EDITOR: ZHAO PU

Euro Zone Unlikely to Grow in ‘03 - Solbes Gaeta, Italy, July 5 (Reuters) - The euro zone economy will find it difficult to expand even one percent this year, European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes said on Saturday, effectively scrapping a forecast made three months ago.

“One percent growth is unlikely,” Solbes told reporters in Gaeta, a town on Italy’s west coast between Rome and Naples.

In April, the European Commission revised down its gross domestic product growth forecast to 1.0 percent from 1.8 percent but on Saturday Solbes hinted growth could dip to 0.7 percent.

“When we predicted one percent growth in April, we warned of risks to the downside and the upside. The downside risks have materialized,” he said at a joint news conference with Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti.

“It could be 0.7 percent, but it depends on how the third and fourth quarters go,” Solbes said.

Earlier this week the Commission said a strong euro, which recently hit record peaks against the dollar, would likely hurt exports in the coming months as it would make them less competitive in overseas markets.

The 12-member euro zone stagnated in the first three months of 2003, the quarter in which war began in Iraq.

It was the euro zone’s worst quarterly economic performance since the last three months of 2001. Only growth in France and Spain offset contractions in Germany and Italy and prevented shrinkage in the bloc as a whole.

Italy, which took over the European

Union’s rotating presidency this week, is aiming to boost growth with a “New Deal,” which would fund infrastructure projects via European Investment Bank (EIB) bonds.

The plan – likened to the deal that re-launched the US economy after the Great Depression in the 1930s – envisages raising as much as 70 bil-

Analysts’ Take: The euro zone economy almost sank into depression at the end of 2002. Early 2003 saw no growth at all, and the first half of the year gave no hint of recovery. The European economy is likely to warm up in the second half of the year, but it’s hard to tell.

The major reasons for the slowdown are as follows: 1. Economic growth has been sluggish around the world. The outbreak of war in Iraq also further delayed the recovery of the world economy.

2. Sluggish investment: the euro zone has been witnessing a slow increase in recent years.

3. Euro appreciation affects export

lion euros a year via EIB bonds without governments taking the debt onto their books.

The cash would be pumped into economy-stimulating projects, like building transport links through the Alps and to Eastern European countries set to join the EU next year.

EU leaders have asked Italy to pur-

competitiveness. The euro has been increasing in value consistently in the past year.

4. Private consumption does not boost economic growth.

5. The unemployment rate is still high. The unemployment rate in the euro zone rose from 8.1 percent to 8.7 percent in the past 12 months, with job losers up to 13 million.

6. The German economy is still struggling. It comprises one third of the European economy, but is heavily depressed with zero economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2002.

— Zhou Wenming, researcher, European Department, Chinese Academy of International Trade & Economic Cooperation

sue the initiative during its six-month tenure, although Germany and Sweden have expressed doubts.

On Wednesday, Tremonti said EU finance ministers would give the EIB a mandate at their July meeting to study the plan, but it would be difficult to work out how to guarantee the bonds.

(Paolo Biondi)

The European Commission has again revised its forecast on GDP growth in the euro zone from 1 percent to 0.7 percent. This is the second downadjustment this year.

The Commission’s fears that a strong euro would hurt exports is perhaps the main motivation for the adjustment.

Yet we are not clear whether the strength of the euro has been caused by capital flow from the US to Europe or whether it is due to other reasons. If capital flow is the reason, this may not be too bad for the euro zone because we would expect this to stimulate a recovery.

Perhaps there is another reason: the unforeseen prospects of the US, Japan and other developed countries in the global

economy. This will shrink the market for exports from euro zone countries.

In any case, the increasing value of the euro shows the euro zone economy will become more and more important in the world economy.

The rising power of the euro zone economy may imply some necessity in adjustment of China’s trade and foreign exchange policy.

In the first place, China may consider putting more effort into exports to euro zone countries.

Second, China may consider the euro as a second foreign currency to which the value of the renminbi in the world market should stick.

— Gong Gang, professor, School of Economics & Management, Tsinghua University

Jobless Rate Surges to Nine-Year High

Japanese stocks rose slightly Thursday morning as bargainhunting by investors lifted shares off their lows for the day. The dollar was lower against the Japanese yen. The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues climbed 32.96 points, or 0.33 percent, to 10,023.91 at midday.

On Wednesday, the index gained 92.23 points, or 0.93 percent, to end at 9,990.95 – its highest close since Aug. 26, 2002. Xinhua Photo

Microsoft to Issue Shares to All Workers Seattle, July 9, (AP) - Microsoft Corp. is abandoning stock options, the once-lucrative lure for talent, and instead will issue shares outright to all its employees as it acknowledges how options have been rendered near useless by the long tech slump.

Employees will automatically receive actual shares of Microsoft stock over time instead of options – the right to purchase stock at a set price tied to the day the employee started.

For options to be valuable the stock must trade above the “exercise price.” Restricted stock is essentially free money, regardless of the stock’s performance.

For years, Microsoft used stock options to attract the best and brightest employees, drawn by the prospect of potential millions. The company’s options have made hundreds of employees millionaires.

But with the stock markets struggling to claw out of a three-year bear market, share prices are considerably lower than in the late 1990s and 2000 – when the options were granted – and many employees’ options are now worthless.

Microsoft said it is also exploring ways for employees to sell these “underwater” options to a third-party financial institution.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said the change will help retain and attract high-quality employees. Analysts predicted other companies might follow suit, but Ballmer said Microsoft wasn’t out to make “some grand statement.”

“Our compensation philosophy is simple,” he said. “We want to be a magnet for the best people by paying smarter. We want to attract and retain employees by offering real ownership and great longterm financial incentives.”

The new compensation plan also represents a shift to predictability from the previous uncertainty – which offered both the potential for big immediate gains, such as in the 1990s, or the prospect of worthless options, which transpired with the tech slump.

The change should console employees who were frustrated by options priced at levels unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon, said Sarah Mattson, senior research analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

“Is Microsoft’s stock price in the near term going to reach a level that it was at several years ago? The answer, which is the same answer for a lot of technology companies, is probably not,” she said.

Microsoft’s stock, which has been hovering in the mid to high $20s, has not closed above $40 a share for nearly three years.

(Helen Jung)

Washington, July 3 (Reuters) - The US jobless rate surged to a nine-year high in June as employers cut 30,000 workers from their payrolls, the government said Thursday in an unexpectedly gloomy report on the economy.

But a separate measure of the vast services sector showed it grew much more quickly than expected last month, revving up to its fastest pace since September 2000 and offering hope to some that businesses would soon start hiring.

The jobless rate hit 6.4 percent – a much worse reading than the 6.2 percent projected by many economists. It was up three-tenths of a percentage point from May’s 6.1 percent, to a level not reached since April 1994, the Labor Department said.

The employment report is “ugly on the surface and uglier when you look inside,” said economist Stuart Hoffman of PNC Financial Services Group.

In a report that offered a glimmer of hope, the Institute for Supply Management said its index of non-manufacturing activity surged to 60.6 in June from 54.5 in May. A reading above 50 signals growth in the service sector.

Stock prices fell, cushioned slightly by the service-sector report. The Dow Jones industrial average ended a shortened pre-holiday session down 0.79 percent at 9,070. Bond prices rose on the jobs data but slid later, with the benchmark 10-year note finishing off nearly a point.

“The services sector may begin to generate some jobs in the second half of the year. I think we could be seeing better employment numbers down the road,” said Gary Thayer, chief economist at AG Edwards & Sons in St. Louis.

Drew Matus, US financial markets economist at Lehman Brothers in New York, was less optimistic.

“Non-manufacturing shows strength, but is this enough to spark a recovery? Probably not,” he said.

“We are a lot more concerned about the weakness in the employment report than we are heartened by the strength in this report.”

Economists had expected payrolls to hold steady in June, rather than fall. The government revised May’s payrolls to show a 70,000 drop instead of the earlier reported 17,000 decrease.

Emphasizing the weakness of the job market, the Labor Department said new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to 430,000 from 409,000 in the prior week. Claims had been expected to rise to only 410,000.

(Caren Bohan)

Analyst’s Take: The US jobless rate climbed from 6.1 percent in May to 6.4 percent in June.

Employers are trying to increase profit through staff reduction. The results of their effort are rather obvious, at least in two aspects.

One is the increase of the productivity ratio, which rose to 4.8 percent in 2002, much higher than the average 2.6 in 1995. The figure is still climbing.

The second aspect is profit increase, as an inevitable consequence of the productivity increase. This profit increase is an essential precondition for a rise in investment and employment.

— Chen Bosen, Senior Fellow, Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

DESIGNER: LI SHI

EU Pressures Asia to Allow Currency Rise Bali, July 5, (Reuters) - European finance ministers pressured Asian governments on Saturday to allow the region’s tightly managed currencies to rise against the dollar, a move that may limit any damage to Europe’s economy from further euro strength.

Some Asian governments have sought to limit the impact of the falling US dollar on their currencies by intervening in foreign exchange markets to maintain their export competitiveness at a time of weak global demand.

With Asia striving to keep dollar weakness at bay, much of the pressure on the dollar, caused by the huge US trade deficit, has so far come via a strengthening euro.

(Jason Szep)

Pakistan: Mosque Hit Hurts Economy Islamabad, July 5, (Reuters) - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that a suicide attack on a Shi’ite mosque near the Afghan border in which 47 people were killed had dealt a blow to the country’s investment prospects.

Musharraf has just returned from a tour of the United States and Europe during which he sought to soothe investors’ nerves about Islamic militancy in Pakistan, and witnessed the signing of a potentially huge oil exploration deal.

“There is no law-and-order problem in Pakistan,” he had told reporters in Paris.

On arrival in Islamabad he told reporters: “As leader I start feeling small. I go and say something and then this unfortunate incident takes place here in our country.”

(Mike Collett-White)

Singapore to Partially Lift Long-standing Chewing Gum Ban Singapore, July 10, (AP) - People in Singapore will soon be allowed to buy long-banned chewing gum — but only from pharmacies — the government said Thursday.

Pharmacists will be able to sell “therapeutic” gum without a doctor’s prescription, the Trade and Industry Ministry said in a statement released in this tightly controlled Southeast Asian country.

The government will allow the sale of Orbit and Orbit White, both sugar-free types of gum made by Chicago-based Wrigley, the world’s largest gum maker, the statement said.

(Chris Brummitt)

Julie Ask, a senior analyst for Jupiter Research of San Francisco, connects her laptop to a wireless internet connection while being supervised by Ronald McDonald Tuesday, July 8, 2003, at a McDonald’s restaurant in the financial district of San Francisco. AP Photo

McDonald’s to Expand Wireless Web Plan San Francisco, July 8, (AP) - Now residents of this technology-focused region will be able to order a Big Mac and wireless Internet access at the same time.

McDonald’s Corp., which has been offering wireless Internet access at 10 restaurants in New York City, expanded the pilot program Tuesday to 55 outlets in the San Francisco Bay area. About 20 more will soon follow.

Additional restaurants in New York and Chicago also are slated to become so-called wireless “hot spots” as part of a McDonald’s goal to offer wireless service at several hundred restaurants by year’s end.

“Today’s customer is more time-pressed than ever, and we think it’s important to meet the needs of busy professional and family lifestyles by offering services that are easy to use and relevant,” said Don Thompson, McDonald’s West Division president. “We want the Golden Arches to be the first choice for a great meal and a place to go wireless.”

Confidence Gains Among CEOs - Survey New York, July 7, (Reuters) - US chief executives have become more confident in the economic outlook, and a majority now expect profits to rise, according to a survey released on Monday by The Conference Board, a private research firm.

The Conference Board’s measure of business confidence jumped to 60 in the second quarter from 53 the quarter before, its highest level since the second quarter of 2002. The survey covers about 100 chief executives in a wide variety of industries.

“Latest survey results show steady improvement in CEO confidence levels,” said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center.

CITY

JULY 11, 2003

E-mail: sunming@ynet.com

EDITOR: SUN MING DESIGNER: LI SHI

Illegal Foreign Currency Scam Cracked

By Sun Ming Chinese authorities have cracked a major illegal cross-border currency trade ring involving more than $40 million, as announced by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the Ministry of Public Security last Friday.

Ringleader Zhao Shengxuan and five accomplices have been convicted of illegal currency trading and received prison terms of three to 10 years.

From a base in Weihai, Shandong Province, the six operated a black cur-

rency exchange market between China and Republic of Korea (ROK) since 2000.

Through illegal routes, the gang first changed Renminbi into ROK won by selling Chinese currency to some foreign ventures in China. The companies’ ROK’s offices then deposited the won into accounts in ROK’s banks set up by members of the ring. The won were then converted into US dollars and brought back into China in batches and sold at a profit.

“The dollars traded by Zhao’s group

have been bought and sold in nearly 10 cities and regions including Qingdao and Yantai in Shandong Province and Shenyang and Yanji in Northeast China,” said Zhang Aidong, an official from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange during an interview with CCTV last Friday.

Chinese laws stipulate that foreign exchange must be done in government-designated sites and any underground trade worth over $200,000 is considered a serious crime.

“Illegal cross-border trade of cur-

rency has severely hurt China’s financial security, as the funds involved go beyond the control of government regulators. In some cases, such underground trading may involve other crimes such as smuggling and drug trafficking,” said Zhang.

He added that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the Ministry of Public Security are planning to launch a nationwide campaign against underground banks and money laundering in the second half of this year.

Retailers Off the Hook in Fraud Suit

By Helen Hong Despite support from an exposé run on CCTV last year, in May 11 consumers angered after purchasing stereo systems supposedly made in Denmark but in fact manufactured in Guangdong Province, lost the lawsuit they filed with the Chaoyang District People’s Court against the retailers of those systems. News of the judgment was released by the court last Friday.

The angry consumers charged three shopping centers with willfully selling “counterfeit or inferior products.”

In 2000 and 2001, Wang Haiying and 10 other consumers bought Sunwoods brand stereo systems at the North Star shopping center, Landao shopping center and at the Yiteng Electrical Appliances store. The vendors at all three sites claimed the equipment was made in and imported from Denmark.

A program run on March 15, 2002 by CCTV about the protection of consumers’ rights, however, revealed that the stereo components had been made in a village in Guangdong.

In September that year, the Shenzhen Industry and Commerce Bureau imposed administrative punishment on the producer of the equipment, Shenzhen Zhongyang Electrical Appliance, for improper competition activities.

The company was ordered to halt its false claims and pay a fine of 200,000 yuan.

The 11 local consumers duped in the scam blamed the shopping centers, not the producer of the equipment, and sued them for using fake trademarks and false claims, demanding total compensation of over 200,000 yuan, twice the overall price of their hi-fi purchases.

According to a statement released by China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce, while Zhongyang acted in violation of national law, its violation had do with false claims, not the quality of its products. Therefore, the company was not involved in the sale of counterfeit or otherwise inferior products.

Investigations conducted by the court uncovered that Shenzhen Zhongyang Electrical Appliance was running a complicated scam. They registered the Sunwoods trademark with the Danish Trademark Bureau, claiming to then import the stereo equipment from Denmark while actually making it themselves in Guangdong.

As a result, the company was able to provide the shopping centers with real certificates proving the registration of the Sunwoods trademark, leading the court to judge that the retailers were innocent of the allegations of deliberate consumer fraud. In its judgment, the court stated that media reports and consumers’ accusations are not sufficient to prove the committing of fraudulent acts.

5

A Buddha head from the Longmen Grottos

Photo by Wang Wei

Lost Treasures Return

By Dong Nan Sixteen ancient Buddhist statues, stolen from China by foreign adventurers and missing for over 80 years, reappeared in the first floor of the Beijing Hotel on July 5.

That hotel’s lobby is the site of an exhibition of these ancient trea-

sures, thought lost until Chen Zhejing, an Chinese-American amateur collector bought them from a Belgian trader seven years ago, according to Ju Xiaonan, organizer of the show. The most precious items on display are two sculpted heads carved in the famed Longmen Grottoes near Datong, Shanxi Province,

Search for Institute Director Goes Global

By Dong Nan Wang Zifa, the first director of a Chinese research institute recruited from abroad, took his post at the Engineering and Mechanics Institute of the China Seismological Bureau on July 1.

“From now on, my future will be tied in with the institution,” said the 38-year-old Chinese-American doctor, who renounced his American citizenship and closed his own company in the US in order to take the position.

The China Seismological Bureau invited scientists from around the world to apply for the directorship this January. A group was set up to oversee the recruitment process, augmented by an expert panel of five academicians and three foreign scholars. Ads for the post were published in China Daily, Science and Technology Daily and on the Internet.

“The research of seis-

Wang Zifa

By Photocome

mology-related engineering mechanics is an important scientific issue worldwide, so we were determined to find an outstanding leader from a pool of international applicants that could lead China to the forefront of world seismological research,” said Song Ruixiang, director of the bureau.

The move was also intended as an experiment towards finding more scientific and democratic ways to select leading officials, he added.

The conditions for the four-year post were a doctoral degree or professorial title and Chinese citizenship.

At the end of April, eight applicants went to the Harbin, Heilongjiang Province-based institute to take part in follow-up competition for the post. Wang was one of two candidates who indicated that they were willing to give up their foreign nationality if offered the job.

In his acceptance speech, Wang said, “Naturally, I always wanted to come back to China to serve my home after completing my studies in the US.” According to Song, “This kind of practice should become a national trend and we will continue to look for ways to keep China’s personnel system abreast of international practices.”

1,500 years ago.

Nearly 90 percent of the over 100,000 Buddhist statues and carvings in the Longmen Grottoes have been stolen, vandalized or otherwise damaged.

The free exhibition is open 24-hoursa-day and will run for six months. Visitors are actually allowed to touch ten of the statues, as the oils on the human hand can help form an attractive and protective shiny finish on their stone surfaces.

Patient Seeking Death Leaves Hospital

By Sun Ming After asking hospital staff many times for the option of assisted death, but always in vain, Wang Mingchen returned home last Friday.

Wang, 49, a resident of Hanzhong in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, has been suffering from cancer since November 2000. Beijing Today ran Wang’s tale as our cover story on June 13 as he waited for a reply to a formal written application for assistance in dying he presented to the hospital in June.

“The hospital always refused to carry out the euthanasia, so I have no choice but to go back home. I want to lessen the economic burden on my family,” Wang told Huashang Daily, a local newspaper in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi, before he left the hospital last Thursday. “But I won’t give up my hopes for assisted death because I have no hope of being cured.”

Since earlier this year, when his stomach and liver cancer went into advanced stages, Wang has requested help in dying at the Xi’an Jiaotong University No.2 Hospital many times, but he was always told that the practice of human euthanasia remains illegal in this country.

He has won national fame not only for his recent campaign, but also because he was the person behind China’s first euthanasia case in 1986. That year, Wang helped his terminally-ill mother die, as a result of which he and his mother’s doctor were arrested and charged with murder. Five years later, the Hanzhong People’s Court declared the two innocent.

Wang said that he can no longer bear his suffering and would like to die in the same way as his mother. “But I won’t commit suicide. I have thought of killing myself, but I think it would be more meaningful if I struggle for the right for euthanasia. Euthanasia is a mark of progress in humanitarianism,” he explained.

At home, Wang receives no treatment other than regular injections of pethidine, a powerful painkiller.

Liu Quan, information officer of the Xi’an Jiaotong University No.2 Hospital, told Beijing Today that through they are willing to provide medical services to Wang at his home, the hospital will not approve his request for death under any condition. “There is simply no law regarding euthanasia in China,” he said.

Liu continued, “To be frank, we doctors have different opinions on euthanasia. But because of the lack of corresponding legislation, all we can do for hopeless cases like Wang is to try to lessen their pain.”

Wang’s wife helps him leave the hospital Photo by Huashang Daily

Seeking Truth from Hidden Video

By Helen Hong About 500 provincial leaders attending a Party conference on enforcing honest and clean working style in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province on April 29 were shocked by the screening of the video Secret Inquiries into Administrative Execution, a one-hour program that revealed abuses of power and illegal activities on the part of administrators throughout the province.

In late May 2002, the law office of the Heilongjiang government sent a group of supervisors to inspect the administration of traffic, industry and commerce and taxation throughout the province. The team worked over 100 days and traveled thousands of kilometers, covertly following 398 business proprietors and capturing hundreds of improper acts committed against them and by them on video. Overall, they amassed over 70 hours of footage on 62 recorders, all of which was finally edited down to the one-hour program.

In the tape, one business owner showed the inquiry team a variety of bills representing improper charges imposed by local fire safety, environmental protection and health authorities and a private security company. In another scene, when a driver pulled over by a traffic police officer asked to see the officer’s badge, he was rudely refused because he “has no such rights.”

The team also captured footage of a notice for employee’s fee quotas hung inside the industry and commerce bureau of another Heilongjiang city. When the supervisors sought an explanation for this improper policy, they were rebuffed by the bureau’s leaders.

Wu Wenlong, vice director of law office of the Heilongjiang provincial government told a reporter from people.com.cn last week, “Secret inquiries are more effective.

We want to stand on the side of common people to observe all procedures involved in administrative execution and thereby find the real problems that exist.”

At the conclusion of the Harbin conference, work unites requested a total of 300 copies of the videotapes for use as reference in cracking down on improper administrative activities.

The individuals shown committing improper acts in the video have all been punished, dismissed, demoted or transferred out of their positions and many local governments and sectors in Heilongjiang are organizing their own secret inquiry teams to supervise their administrative execution.

The people.com.cn article quoted one administrative executor as saying, “Now when I am working I can feel as if lots of eyes are watching me.”

Training Boys to Be Men

By Dong Nan The first all-boys senior high school in the city has recently opened, promising to help turn whiny boys into disciplined, strong men.

The school, called the Hui Jia Education Institution, is currently recruiting 80 to 100 students from all over the country to enroll in its initial academic year, set to start this September.

According to the school’s website, its methods differ from those of normal high schools thanks to its military-like management. Included in its unusual curricula are military training and instruction in boxing, martial arts and wilderness survival.

According to Wang Zhize, chairman of the school’s board, the “man classes” are intended to meet a need in society, as many boys in big cities these days are spoiled and overly feminine. Wang said that rigid single-sex education is far more likely to drive out such weaknesses than normal co-ed classes.

Some other educators, however, seem skeptical. While Sun Yunxiao, renowned educationalist and writer, agrees that allmale classes could be valuable in protecting masculinity and cultivating a sense of courage for exploration, he pointed out that such a school will face its greatest challenge in teaching its students how to properly communicate and work with women.

City Celebrates End of SARS, Coming of Olympics

By Yu Shanshan This Sunday, a citywide celebration for the second anniversary of Beijing’s successful bid to host the 2008 Olympics and the capital’s full recovery from the SARS crisis is set to take place in local parks and stadiums. For that day, 17 parks will offer free admission, while another 25 parks and 33 sports venues will offer half-price tickets.

Under the theme “Healthy Beijing, Passionate Olympics”, Beijing’s 18 districts and counties will hold simultaneous celebrations, the main venue for which will be Longtan Park in Chongwen District, host of acrobatic performances and large sales of sporting goods.

In the evening, a pop concert featuring famed singers including Liu Huan, Na Ying and Guo Feng will be staged in front of the China Millennium Monument.

6

VOICE

JULY 11, 2003

E-mail: xiaorong@ynet.com

By Shan Jinliang he most visible reminder of Shanghai’s colonial heritage, the Bund attracts millions of visitors from home and abroad each year.

But when the local government suggested it should be listed as a World Heritage site, a chorus of dissent arose.

With a length of four kilometers, the Bund lies on the western bank of the Huangpu River. The old financial heart of the colonizing powers, its architecture dates back to the early 1900s.

There are 52 grand old buildings in particular that make it such a tourist attraction, with a mixture of styles such as Romanesque and Renaissance, blended with Chinese styles. It was approved to be a national level cultural protection site in 1996.

Zhao Lihong, president of Shanghai Literature magazine and member of the People’s Political Consultative Committee, suggested early this February that the Bund should be recognized as a UN World Heritage site.

Tan Yufeng, director of the Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Administrative Committee Ground Cultural Relics Division, agreed. He said the committee would get in contact with the State Bureau of Cultural Relics, whose World Heritage Division is in charge of applying for world heritage status.

Zhao’s suggestion sparked heated debate after the news was reported by Xinhua on June 26.

Yanyang, writer for China Youth Daily The Bund is evidence of China’s painful history of subversion by foreign invaders. We can enjoy the beauty of the buildings, but we should not emphasize the bitterness of colonial culture. This is not something to be proud of at all.

With a history of less than 100 years, the Bund has nothing to do with traditional Chinese culture, only with foreign culture.

Applications to the world heritage should be on behalf of the history of the Chinese.

China has a number of valuable cultural heritage sites that are queuing up for recognition. The Bund should not come before them.

Zhao Lihong, president of Shanghai Literature magazine The Shanghai Bund is a sym-

T

EDITOR: XIAO RONG

Shanghai Bund - World Heritage or Colonial Heritage?

Night scenery of Shanghai Bund

bol of the combination of Chinese and foreign cultures.

From the political point of view, the Bund is a colonial site, but from the viewpoint of culture, it is the result of mankind’s wisdom and civilization. The 52 buildings, which cover almost all the western construction styles, are rare internationally, not just in China.

Though most of the buildings were designed by foreigners, all of them were constructed by Chinese workers. And more importantly, western culture, including architecture, has had a positive impact on Chinese culture. The Bund is one of the top examples of this.

Those who think only our national buildings should be world cultural heritage sites are led too much by traditional Chinese politics.

Pang Qingjuan, student at Beijing University China’s World Heritage sites should embody Chinese culture.

But since this is a symbol with its own beauty and combined with the fantastic Huangpu river scenery, it deserves to be considered as a World Heritage site. It takes

An Expensive Insult

By Yu Shanshan A young university entrance exam participant in Handan, Hebei province, found his effort to get back at his maths teacher backfired rather badly, recently.

He drew a comic portrait of his teacher on the exam paper and wrote a line beside it, reading, “Look, this ugly man is my maths teacher!” The result? A deduction of 30 points from his score.

The head of the University Application Division of Handan Education Examination Academy, surnamed Wang, said the punishment was simply based on university rules. He also said that the academy would consider further about how to deal with the student.

But wasn’t the exam supposed to be testing the students’ brains, not his behavior? Opinions follow: Wei Bing, Chinese student who studied abroad in Australia It’s typical of Chinese education. I remember a class I had when I was studying in a language school in Australia a year ago. In order to lighten the dull atmosphere in class, the teacher asked everyone to draw a comic

DESIGNER: PANG LEI

picture of Australia’s president, John Howard. The teacher even did it himself on the blackboard; his President Howard had a man’s head and a horse’s body. But in China, no one would dare to draw officials like that.

It’s unfair to punish the student merely because he expressed his resentment towards his teacher. I think every person has the right to express what he thinks.

Why should he hide his resentment? Teachers should be able to complain about students, and vice visa. We all know what the college entrance examination means for a student. If the student dares to sacrifice his prospects to express his disgust, the teacher must have done something. I think the student should be forgiven.

Wang Jiangci, Maths teacher at Experimental High School attached to Beijing Normal University I have taught maths for over twenty years. In my experience, when something like this happens, a teacher should not take it too seriously and just laugh it off.

I don’t know what basis there was for the decision to deduct the 30 points. Though we don’t have

an open mind to include foreign culture into our Chinese culture.

Wei Wenbiao, journalist with China Economic Times Political considerations should be neglected for applications to the World Heritage. Otherwise, why should we protect the Great Wall, which is the witness of slaves’ wretched lives? Or the President Suite in Nanjing, which is the symbol of Chiang Kai-shek’s Republic of China?

The Bund could work as mirror to remind us of a humiliating episode in our history and to be stronger by ourselves. But we could also take it as a textbook when talking about China’s construction styles.

One thing to remember is that we should not ignore the main purpose of applying for World Heritage recognition: preservation. Why shouldn’t we protect the Bund in the same way as we do our own culture? bilig999, Xinhua netizen I feel surprised at the move to apply for World Heritage recognition of the Shanghai Bund. I think

it’s partly an effort by Shanghai to become more internationalized.

But all the buildings are of foreign style. They are just replicas of foreign buildings. Do they qualify as World Heritage items? They are treasures to Shanghai, but maybe they are not so great for the rest of the world.

Shanghai is a city with little historical heritage and it does not have the same architectural purity as a foreign city. Where are its own classical buildings?

Lala, Xinhua netizen There are Arab buildings in the Spanish World Heritage sites, and some old Roman buildings in North Africa, but it is shameful to remind people of their colonial history.

Da Zhuzhu, Xinhua netizen The Shanghai Bund is characterized by its varied styles. The Bank of China was designed and constructed by Chinese workers, and it has a certain Chinese style.

But I think it might be unable to become a World Heritage site since it is surrounded by too many modern towers.

a scientific measure to judge the behavior of students who take exams, we do know the effect of losing 30 points - the student probably won’t get into university because of it. So it could ruin his future.

Li Hongjun, vice director of United Daily of Shandong Province Paying attention to insulting someone instead of focusing on his exam, the student did a bad thing.

However, should teachers not also look at themselves? A teacher should have not only knowledge, but also morality. Some teachers don’t respect their careers, some of them even abuse and hit their students. How can students pay respect to teachers like that?

It’s very stupid for the student to draw on the paper to insult his teacher. But sometimes it’s reasonable for a student to feel a lack of respect. Education administrations should pay attention to the quality of the teachers they employ.

Tracy Driscoll, Public Relations Manager of the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy Firstly I think the student was very immature and not very smart to criticize a teacher in this way - even if he had good reason to dislike the teacher. He should have expected some rami-

fications. But I do think the punishment in this case was quite harsh and not necessarily according to the rules for such an important examination.

If I were the teacher I would not take the drawing of an adolescent so personally. However, discipline in Chinese schools is certainly stricter than in Australia, where I come from, and students are much better behaved in China as a result. Pranks like this happen all the time in schools at home and teachers try to ignore them so as not to give the perpetrators the attention they are obviously looking for.

Perhaps this harsh punishment and publicity it has received will stop anyone from doing something like this again.

Internet surfer IP: www.cyol.net I remember a student who wrote on his exam paper: “Thank you for your time, the teacher who marks my paper.” And the paper got a zero mark. The process of marking exam papers is very subjective. Under such circumstances, the exam committee has the right to decide how to deal with it. To insult a teacher is a problem of morality. Insulting a teacher proves the student has a bad attitude, so he deserves to lose 30 points.

Photo by photocome

Readers & Leaders

Nameless Jobless

By Cindy L.Jiang It is already hot July. College seniors would normally be looking forward to their new roles in a new world and waving goodbye to campus.

It is different this year. Many university graduates are still looking for their first jobs and chances are limited. About 53 percent of the graduates this summer haven’t yet signed employment contracts, according to a Xinhua news report.

This situation is quite a shock for graduates. But it was predicted four years ago, just as the country started to extend university enrolment. The extra students thought they were lucky in 1999, but the result is today’s difficulty in finding a job.

There are some obvious benefits to expanding the scale of university education; more higher education opportunities is one. This will surely help to improve the intelligence standard of the country. The average standard of higher education in the country is still relatively low.

Another reason is that the education industry is growing larger. More and more Chinese families are willing and able to pay the high costs of education abroad, so the potential profits from this industry have been recognized by the Chinese education administration. Admission of a Chinese student represents a lot of fees for many foreign universities. Foreign universities cater to Chinese demand precisely because there is so much competition for places in Chinese universities. With more and more education funds flowing abroad, Chinese universities are trying their best to enroll more newcomers. In some universities like Northern Jiaotong University in Beijing, the classrooms can hardly contain the expansion in numbers of students.

Education resources are limited. Classrooms are limited; the teaching facilities are limited; the teachers are limited; most of all, the job market is limited. Some education specialists had argued that job opportunities would be critical to the expansion in the number of China’s graduates.

2003 saw a record number of university graduates.

There were 2.12 million this year. According to Xinhua, this figure is 46 percent higher than last year.

What if graduates simply can’t find a job? There’s a popular saying among young people these days: “Can’t find a job right now? Go for a postgraduate course. Still can’t find a job? Then choose doctoral study.”

Some measures have been taken by the government.

Students have been encouraged to seek opportunities in poor western regions. And graduates who want to set up private businesses are offered preferential tax treatment.

In fact, the employment attitude of university students has changed a lot in recent years. In the past, a graduate diploma was a guarantee of a good job. Now graduates are less concerned about fixed job opportunities and are more eager to take a chance by developing their own businesses or working as freelances.

The job-hunting situation this summer is also, to some degree, because of the SARS outbreak. From March to May, the usual face-to-face interviews were impossible and all the big employment fairs were cancelled or postponed. Besides, the effect of SARS on the economy has forced a lot of firms to revise their recruitment plans.

But even without SARS, the problems of expansion in competition for jobs because of the greatly increased number of graduates should have been considered earlier. It was predicted long enough ago.

SOUND BITES “These are extraordinary measures in extraordinary times. But the measures are taken with the backdrop of the SARS epidemic. It’s draconian, no doubt, but it is effective.”

— Lam Peng Er, a researcher at the East Asia Institute. He was commenting on the latest blitz of the Singapore government on hygiene in the aftermath of SARS. Toilets in the country are now rated in a new five-star system similar to that used for hotels according to Reuters Monday. Under the “Happy Toilet” program, plaques bear-

ing star ratings began appearing outside Singapore’s 29,000 public toilets recently.

“Further delay in implementing the remedies will result in an unequal application of the law as between Ontario and British Columbia.”

— The high court of British Columbia lifted its moratorium on same-sex marriage Tuesday, making a two-month-old ruling in favor of legal marriage effective immediately.

On May 1, the British Columbia Court

of Appeals ruled that restrictions on samesex marriage violated the rights of Canadian same-sex couples under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But the court then suspended its ruling until July of 2004 to give the government time to develop constitutional marriage policies.

mourning Tuesday after conjoined twins Laleh and Ladan Bijani died following marathon surgery to separate them in Singapore. The courage of the 29-year-old twin sisters, who were aware of the risks the operation might bring, has won them a place in every Iranian peoples’ heart.

“It is a sad day for Iran. The Iranian nation and a lot of people around the world were hoping they would be rescued.”

— Iran Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi. The country was plunged into

“The way Kobe has been propped up by the NBA suggests that everything he touches also touches the NBA. While the NBA right now is being perceived as a thug environment, he is one of its

few beacons. It could be devastating for the league.”

— David Carter, a Los Angeles-based sports business consultant. Famous fanfriendly Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant might be facing sexual assault charges within days after a 19-year-old Colorado woman claimed to have been assaulted by Bryant in Vail on June 30.

Colorado prosecutors said Monday that they might take until next week to decide whether to accuse Bryant.

By Xiao Rong / Chen Si

FOCUS E-mail: sunming@ynet.com

Opportunity Nearly Lost

JULY 11, 2003 EDITOR: SUN MING ZHANG SHIXIN

Grace Tan-Wang is the deputy Team Chief of the Integrated Sequence Team on the Mars Exploration Rover mission.

Going to Mars

T

he probe carrying NASA’s second sixwheeled Mars buggy successfully blasted off on Monday after nearly two weeks of delays. Technical problems plagued the launch to the very end.

The first launch effort on Monday night was called off with only seven seconds left in the countdown when a valve problem was detected.

Less than an hour later, the probe, named Opportunity, finally blasted off at 11:18 pm. Relieved officials joked about Murphy’s Law being behind the bad weather and other glitches that had emerged.

“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” quipped NASA launch director Omar Baez.

Time had been running out for Opportunity. NASA had until July 15 to launch the probe before Earth and Mars became too far apart and the next chance would have been in four years.

The launch was postponed more than half-a-dozen times and pushed back by almost two weeks because of bad weather, a failed battery cell and a nagging problem with cork insulation failing to stick to the aluminum rocket.

Opportunity and its sister ship, Spirit, which was launched last month, are scheduled to arrive at Mars in January and land on opposite sides of the planet as part of the $800 million mission.

The probes will launch two six-wheeled vehicles, or “rovers”, which will roll across the rocky red soil of Mars and send back data that could help scientists determine whether there was ever enough water on the planet to support life.

The two probes are following two other spacecraft on their way to Mars. Japan’s troubleplagued Nozomi orbiter, originally launched in 1998, is scheduled to arrive in late December or early January.

Scheduled to arrive at about the same time is the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter and its British-built Beagle 2 lander, which was launched last month.

(Source: Associated Press)

The artist’s rendering shows a view of NASA’s Mars 2003 Rover NASA Photo

Beijing Today and Beijing Youth Daily interviewed two of NASA’s scientists working on the mission, Grace Tanwang and Dr. Firouz Naderi. Excerpts are below: Q: Could you tell us your immediate, medium and long term plans for Mars exploration?

A: The overall strategy of our Mars travel plan is called “follow the water”. The reason we follow the water is that here on earth, whenever there is water that has persisted for a long period of time, there is life. Since we are looking to find out whether there was life on Mars, we have decided to look for water, either present or ancient water.

The year 2003 is such a good opportunity to go to Mars because of the positions of the two planets in their respective orbits.

The European Space Agency has launched a spacecraft called Mars Express. It will land on Mars about the same time as ours, which is late December or early January. Their lander will be stationary. Ours are mobile.

We can go to Mars every 26 months. So the next one will be another orbiter called Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It has very sensitive instruments on it. That will go in 2005.

Then for 2007, we have four missions that are competing with each other right now. One of them will be selected to be launched in 2007.

Dr. Firouz Naderi is the Director of the Solar System Exploration Programs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Program Manager of the Mars Exploration Program.

the next decade, it depends on discoveries we make in this one. We can go to the surface of Mars and bring samples of rock and soil back to earth.

That is a possibility. We may also go with more rovers, specifically looking at biological activities. We’ll make those decisions as the scientific results from this decade’s missions come back.

Q: When do you plan to send astronauts to Mars?

A: We don’t have a timetable. For example, we don’t have any plan that says by 2018 or 2020 we will be sending humans. We are hoping that robotic exploration will provide us with some of the technologies and some of the know-how to be able to facili-

The last mission this decade will be in 2009. We will send a much larger lander that we call Mars Science Laboratory. It’s going to be a mobile vehicle. We are hoping that it could last many years.

The selection will take place this August.

The last mission this decade will be in 2009. We will send a much larger lander that we call Mars Science Laboratory. It’s going to be a mobile vehicle, not stationary. We are hoping that it could last many years. On it we’ll have a number of analytical instruments to determine the composition of samples of rocks and soil.

That’s what we have planned for this decade. For

7

DESIGNER: PANG LEI

tate future human travel.

A number of things need to be completed before we send humans to Mars. First, there are technological factors. Another is physiological factors, such as how would the radiation affect humans.

Right now. With current technology, if we were to send humans to Mars and bring them back, the trip would take about three years. It would take seven months to go to Mars, and then you would have to wait for the

alignment of the planet to be able to bring them back.

At the moment, the effects of three years of radiation on humans are not known.

Our measurements of radiation on Mars show it to be about three times as intensive as radiation on the international space stations. You also need to find out safer ways to land on the surface of Mars. The human spacecraft that will go to Mars would be much more heavy than anything that has landed there so far. We need to have the technology to be able to do that. So, there are a lot of challenges ahead before we can send humans to Mars.

Q: When do you think it will be possible for humans to go to Mars?

A: It is very difficult to estimate. I don’t think we’ll have the technology to do it within the next ten years.

Q: What do you think of your competition with Europe, Japan or other countries in exploring Mars?

A: We don’t view it as competition. We view it as collaboration. For example, with the European Space Agency’s Mars Express, we helped them with testing the airbags that are used for landing. Once they land, we will use our two orbiters to relay the information from their lander back to earth. We believe finding out about Mars scientifically is beneficial for everyone.

Q: Could you brief us on this Mars Exploration Mission?

A: The two 160 kilogram rovers can drive hundreds of meters a time to explore the surface of the Mars. The rover is very much like a human explorer. They have nine sets of cameras onboard, on top and below each wheel. Once we find an interesting rock through the camera, we can drive the rover over to it. Then the rover will send data back to earth Q: What are the missions of these two rovers?

A: The rovers will land on two different sides of Mars. One is landing on the place people believe to be a crater lake where water might have been, the bottom of the lakebed. That’s one mission. The other will land on almost the opposite side of Mars. That’s the plain where we think there might be hematite, a clue to the existence of water. This could help scien- They are going to tists see what life if any there stay there for 90 has been on Mars. Also, see- Martian days. ing how millions of years of Each Martian day erosion has affected the plan- is 24 hours plus et might help us understand 40 minutes. When our planet better. the rovers land Q: How long are they going on Mars, the team to stay on Mars? here is going to A: 90 Martian days. Each work on the Mars Martian day is 24 hours plus timetable, so our 40 minutes. When the rovers days will be 40 land on Mars, the team here minutes longer. is going to work on the Mars After about three timetable, so our days will weeks, we’ll have be 40 minutes longer. After to switch day and about three weeks, we’ll have night completely. to switch day and night completely.

Q: Will they stay on Mars or return to Earth upon completion of their tasks?

A: We are not going to be able to bring them back. In order to come back, we’ll have to have a launch vehicle to escape the gravity on Mars.

That’s a future objective. There’s already a team of people thinking about what we’ll have to do to bring samples back to earth.

Q: What challenges will the rovers meet on Mars?

A: There’s still much that is unknown. We have learned much from Viking, and Mars Pathfinder landings as well as the orbiters that have sent back global data on the planet, but we don’t know everything. The rovers will be driving around in terrain never explored before. It is the unknown that we need to find out about.

Q: What are the rovers expected to find?

A: We have seen evidence of ice at the polar caps, but scientists would like to find better evidence that water may have flowed on Mars. Like on earth, the topology scientists have seen on the Mars surface something like dry river beds, channels that water may have flown through to cause that kind of formation. The channels lead to a wider area that might be a lake, a large deposit area. That’s what scientists are looking to explore, to understand what these areas look like, whether there was water there and to have a better understanding of what kind of minerals and (By Ivy Zhang / Zeng Wei) elements were there.

8

PROBE

JULY 11, 2003

E-mail: sunming@ynet.com

“When transferring employees from one country to another, it’s essential for multinational companies to have reliable cost-ofliving information to determine appropriate compensation packages.”

EDITOR: SUN MING

DESIGNER:PANG LEI

Why’s It So Expensive Here?

“Golf is a very popular sport in America which most professionals can afford. But in China, like Japan and Korea, the price is extremely high, it is just for elites.”

By Sun Ming new survey measuring the cost of living in cities around the world has found that Beijing is the world’s fifth most expensive city, way pricier than New York which comes in tenth.

Sounds unlikely? Well Mercer Human Resource Consulting stand by their findings. Apparently, pampered expat workers who expect to live in the fashion to which they have become accustomed at home are in for a rude shock in China’s capital.

The American-based group, one of the largest consulting firms in the world, released the annual survey on June 16. It covers 144 cities and measures the comparative cost of over 200 products and services in each location. These include food, alcohol, utilities, clothing, household goods, transport, sport and entertainment.

According to Mercer, the data is used to assist multinational companies in determining compensation allowances for their expatriate workers.

The survey says Tokyo has replaced Hong Kong as the world’s most expensive city and Asia is now the most expensive region with ten of its cities in the top twenty places in the survey.

The Mercer index uses New York as the base city with 100 points. Against that, Tokyo scored 126.1 points. Osaka takes third position (112.2) followed

by Hong Kong (111.6) and Beijing (105.1). Shanghai (98.4) is ranked 11th. Asuncion in Paraguay, which has an index of 36.5 points, has replaced Johannesburg as the least expensive city in the survey.

A

Mercer Human Resource Consulting Cost of living survey 2003 – index summary Rank 2003 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Rank 2002 (3) (2) (6) (1) (4) (28) (10) (9) (32) (7) (5) (8) (40) (11) (62) (14) (63) (13) (11) (16)

City Tokyo,Japan Moscow,Russia Osaka,Japan Hong Kong,China Beijing,China Geneva,Switzerland London,UK Seoul,Republic of Korea Zurich,Switzerland New York City,USA Shanghai,China St.Petersburg,Russia Oslo,Norway Hanoi,Vietnam Copenhagen,Denmark Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam Milan,ltaly Shenzhen,China Guangzhou,China White Plains NY,USA

Index 2003 126.1 114.5 112.2 111.6 105.1 101.8 101.3 101.0 100.3 100.0 98.4 97.3 92.7 89.5 89.4 88.5 87.2 86.7 86.7 86.2

Index 2002 (117.5) (120.0) (103.2) (124.2) (111.4) (80.8) (91.0) (95.8) (79.8) (100.0) (104.7) (98.6) (77.1) (90.8) (69.3) (88.7) (69.1) (89.4) (90.8) (86.3)

Costs for foreign workers Zhang Shidong, the global information survey practice leader with Mercer Human Resource Consulting China, told Beijing Today that the survey doesn’t aim at local residents but at foreign workers who maintain a lifestyle similar to that in their home countries.

“When transferring employees from one country to another, it’s essential for multinational companies to have reliable cost-of-living information to determine appropriate compensation packages.”

“The survey is designed to measure the differences in cost of living that international businessmen and women and their families encounter when transferred abroad,” added Zhang.

Transport in Beijing Getting around in Beijing is far more expensive than in New York.

Not in taxis and buses, of course.

“Transportation in the survey mainly covers car prices, including buying cars or renting cars,” Zhang told Beijing Today.

“A Buick car selling for $20,000 in the United States is sold at around RMB300,000 yuan in China, (about US$25,000),” Xu Feng, a car dealer told Beijing Today.

For a long time, China’s car industry has had government protection in two ways: a high tariff rate and controls on imports. According to Shenzhen WTO Consulting Center, the tariff rate for car imports was 220% before 1986, and dropped to 150% in 1994, to 100% in 1996 and down to 80% in 1997. The average tariff rate for motor vehicles this year is still 43.3%. Also, the import of automobile parts is restricted by non-tariff measures including quotas and licenses.

“The cost of transportation will fall a lot,” says Shen Guilong, an economic expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Foreign auto companies will soon have full distribution and trading rights. By 2006 China will reduce tariffs on cars to 25% and will also permit foreign financing of car purchases.”

Sport and leisure

It’s costly to go to the gym or fitness center in Beijing.

Photos by Photocome

Sport and leisure in Beijing is the stuff of bank managers’ nightmares. Assuming you like to play golf, that is.

“Mercer collects golf and tennis expenses in the questionnaire. Golf is a very popular sport in America which most professionals can afford. But in China, like Japan and Korea, the price is extremely high, it is just for elites,” says Zhang. “And tennis is not exactly cheap in Beijing.”

Zhang says the reason for this is that sports like golf and tennis need extensive areas which China lacks, due to its massive population.

are important costs for multinational companies.”

According to the survey, housing was most expensive in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow and Shanghai.

Do all foreigners live the high life?

Food at home and eating in restaurants are much cheaper in Beijing than in New York.

“Insufficient competition is also a factor which leads to the high cost of sport and leisure,” says Shen Guilong. “The markets for expats and internationalized lifestyles haven’t completely formed in China.”

As well as golf and tennis, it’s costly to go to the gym or fitness center in Beijing. And movie tickets, international newspapers and magazines are also expensive.

The prices of electronic appliances in Beijing are also more expensive than in New York, as expatriates who prefer to buy imported brands will know.

“The cost of living here in Beijing is definitely higher than in New York,” says David Lee, who moved here from New York two years ago. Lee said that he spends more on his golfing habit and apartment here than he would back home.

Domestic services Compared with the other categories, the cost of domestic services shows the biggest difference between New York and Beijing. It’s much cheaper in Beijing, which scores only 40 points to New York’s 100.

“In the United States, not every family can afford a servants service, which costs around $20 per hour. In Beijing, its only around six yuan per hour,” says Lee. Savings can also be made when eating out. “A family of three might spend $60 in a restaurant, but in Beijing the family might only need 300 yuan to have a pretty good dinner. Here, my wife, my daughter and I enjoy the cheap and wonderful food in Beijing,” added Lee.

Prices falling “The cost of living in Beijing and other Chinese cities will fall in the coming years as more international brands are produced locally at lower costs. Also more and more international brands will enter China, under WTO rules, so expats will have more and more choices,” says Zhang. “The

competition will drive prices down.”

Beijing was actually fourth on the list last year. Some economic experts think it’s fifth place this year is due to deflation and the increased availability of international brands in the city.

According to the survey, the gap between the world’s most and least expensive cities continues to narrow.

The trend has moderated, however.

Housing not included “People might think that the high cost of housing in Beijing is the main factor which gives the city such a pricey ranking, but actually expat accommodation costs are not included in the survey,” says Zhang.

Zhang explains that expatriate accommodation costs are treated as a separate allowance, because companies usually have a special budget for this for their foreign workers.

“But we still provided comprehensive information on accommodation, schooling and other business traveling costs in the survey because they

According to Mercer, the survey aims to help provide a compensation package for foreign workers in multinational companies, so they assume that expats live the same style of life in host countries as they did in their home counties.

“Considering that most of the foreign workers in Beijing are from developed countries, when choosing samples in Beijing, we mainly chose international brands or medium and high-grade services in the city,” said Zhang.

Of course, expats in Beijing don’t necessarily choose the most expensive options.

“I often go to Xiushui where I can buy cheap but good stuff,” Philip Brown, an American employee with a Sino-American joint venture, told Beijing Today. “Why should I waste my money on international brands? I like eating at small restaurants and I often buy food at common supermarkets. It’s cheap.”

Asked whether the cost of living is a real reflection for foreign workers in Beijing, Zhang stressed that the survey targets the majority of the expats in the city.

“To be sure, in theory the perfect index should be one tailored to each household’s spending pattern. This is theoretically possible but in real life the cost to produce and maintain such a system would be astronomically expensive.”

Comparison of international cities Food at home Alcohol and Tobacco Household Supplies Health and Personal Care Clothing and Footwear Domestic Services Utilities Restaurants Transportation Sports and Leisure Total

New York Tokyo Moscow Osaka Hong Kong Beijing 100 107 82 141 161 110 100 86 89 99 94 113 100 103 105 86 106 118 100 95 82 91 94 101 100 118 94 97 118 152 92 57 100 40 94 57 85 100 100 81 81 104 111 109 100 102 85 85 112 130 100 116 157 155 152 145 100 138 96 120 126.1 114.5 100 111.6 105.1 112.2

Comparison of Chinese cities Food at home Alcohol and Tobacco Household Supplies Health and Personal Care Clothing and Footwear Domestic Services Utilities Restaurants Transportation Sports and Leisure Total

Beijing 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Shanghai 95 93 95 97 101 100 102 99 108 91 99

Guangzhou Shenzhen Tianjin 118 87 93 95 75 88 94 81 87 108 74 96 111 56 91 66 86 33 68 95 55 95 88 55 110 94 78 88 83 67 91 98 69

FACE E-mail: feonazh@ynet.com

By Dong Nan hao Nian has seen a lot of highs and lows during his time as a drummer for groundbreaking Beijing rockers Tang Dynasty. The band has had success, failure and many changes of personnel in the last 13 years. Now, as fans await the third album from one of China’s earliest and greatest rock names, new influences are at work.

Z

Time at my heels In the middle of the 1980s, a young man with long hair and flared jeans was getting bored with his factory job. Most people in the Chinese mainland still hadn’t heard of The Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but Zhao Nian was dreaming of rock and roll glory with his band, “Da Da Da”. He set up the band with two friends, and they played old songs by The Police and The Eagles.

The only time Zhao could practice was when he came back from work. His little room was always noisy after midnight.

Angry neighbors would dump rubbish outside his door, but the young musician just cleaned it up and continued his drumming.

Eventually, he could bear life in the factory no more so he quit. “I didn’t think much about making a living. A kind of inner passion drove me to make the choice.”

In the 1980s, such a choice was extraordinary. The manager of Zhao’s factory even went to his home to talk with his parents.

However, moved by Zhao’s determination, the manager said when he left, “If this is what Zhao truly wants, I think I should let him go.”

In the autumn of 1989, two uninvited guests came to watch Zhao’s band rehearsing. They were Ding Wu and Zhang Ju, lead singer and bassist of “Tang Dynasty”, a growing name in Beijing’s underground rock’n roll circles at that time. Since their drummer had just left for the US, Ding and Zhang were eager to find a replacement.

“Several days after they came to our rehearsal room, I ran into Ding Wu in Xidan. We just came across each other in the street at the same time.” So many years later, Zhao Nian still remembers the meeting clearly.

“We felt familiar somehow, even though we didn’t say that much.”

They went to Zhang Ju’s home, the band’s “base”. Since then, Zhao Nian’s name has been inseparable from Ding Wu, Zhang Ju and Tang Dynasty.

From Ding and Zhang, Zhao Nian gained new influences including progressive rock and heavy metal bands like Yes, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. It was a brand new world of music.

The next band member to join was Liu Yijun, better known by his nickname, Laowu. This talented musician would later be hailed as “the greatest guitarist in Asia”, by Spin in 1992.

A Dream Returns To Tang Dynasty At the beginning, the band did not have songs of their own. Without teachers, teaching materials or music books, the only way they could improve themselves was to listen to albums they loved over and over again and cover songs from bands like Iron Maiden, Megadeath and Guns ‘n Roses. Everyday, the four got together in their small rehearsal room in the Central Academy of Fine Arts to practice.

Life was hard for the young musicians. Without jobs, money or fame, their only income was from tickets to the small-scale gigs they organized. Most of the money went on buying music instruments or equipment. They ate instant noodles for virtually every meal, just to save money.

But these privations didn’t matter to Zhao. At the time, heavy metal was so attractive, the band’s gigs and performances were so trilling, and the friends got on so well together that he has mainly happy memories. Also, most of the band’s most popular songs were written in those days.

“It was the best time in life one can expect; good friends together, listening to and playing

JULY 11, 2003

9

EDITOR: ZHAO PU DESIGNER: PANG LEI

Rock of Ages

Zhao Nian participated in a benefit performance last Saturday night dedicated to the medical staff who fought against SARS.

songs we loved and practicing our own songs all day. Being poor materially didn’t matter. It was the happiest time in my life.”

“People paid more attention to spirit than material things in those days, you know,” he adds.

As one of the only heavy metal bands in Beijing at that time, Tang Dynasty easily cut their own niche. Their sound was new to most people, but it soon caught on.

In 1992, the band finally released their debut, A Dream Returns to Tang Dynasty.

The album soon grabbed domestic and international attention. Together with Cui Jian and Black Pather (another local rock band), Tang Dynasty were credited with initiating a new rock ‘n’ roll movement in China in the 1990s. Members of the band soon found themselves being chased by fans everywhere they went.

In the next two years, the band’s stature grew and Zhao Nian was busy with rehearsals and concerts all over the place, in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Germany. However, just as the band were at their peak, tragedy struck.

Farewell, Zhang Ju May 11, 1995 seemed to be another ordinary day as usual.

Zhao Nian finished rehearsal with the band at 4 pm and went home.

In the evening, he received a phone call from Zhang Ju’s sister.

Zhang was at hospital, badly hurt in a traffic accident. Zhao Nian rushed to the hospital but was too late. The band’s bassist and best friend had already passed away.

It was six days before his 25th birthday.

Photos by Txtpuma / Zhuang Jian

“I wasn’t even able to see him for the last time,” says Zhao Nian. “I heard Zhang Ju’s mother crying, but I was unable to cry.

The shock was too great.”

Zhang was hit by a lorry when driving his motorcycle in Zizhuqiao, Haidian district. The lorry simply drove off. Zhang was able to tell his name and the phone number of his family to people at the scene. But he died of internal bleeding at the hospital.

“He was the youngest member of the band and was always willing to accept new things. He taught me a lot, and he was also the most friendly and generous guy in Beijing music circles,” Zhao says.

Zhang Ju’s little room in

Practising in his small underground rehearsal room

Xicheng District had been the “headquarters” of Tang Dynasty.

The band would gather there to listen to music, chat and enjoy food made by Zhang’s mother.

They called Zhang Ju’s father “rock daddy”.

“Almost all the people in the Beijing music scene came to his funeral,” Zhao recalls. “And many uninvited guests. They stood there silently and gloomily. I guess they were not only fans, but also Zhang Ju’s friends whom we didn’t know before. “ After that, Zhao Nian fell into a completely lost and sad state.

“I did not know how far we could go without such a precious friend.

And I could not accept the idea of finding a new bass player.”

Other band members were equally devastated. Lead guitarist Laowu left the band. Tang Dynasty canceled all performances and even rehearsals for months. The three old friends who used to stay together every day didn’t see each other, and only called occasionally.

However, during those sad and dark days, Zhao Nian never thought of giving up. “We are Tang Dynasty and have our responsibilities. Our banner can’t be put down. Though so many things happened, I never thought of the band breaking up. I don’t believe Ding Wu did either.”

Early in 1996, the band managed to find a new lead guitarist and bassist. They regained some confidence after the tragedy, but time for adjusting

was still needed.

For a while, Zhao Nian had to act as manager for the band.

Once when they had a performance in Yunnan, the boss refused to pay. Knowing the boss would try to escape immediately after the performance, Zhao hid all the instruments one day before the performance and told the boss they had been “taken away”.

“We can only get them back if you pay. Otherwise, we won’t be able to perform,” Zhao warned the man. The two of them quarreled about it long into the night.

“Of course I hated it all.

Anyway, I am a drummer, not a businessman, but there must be someone to do these troublesome things for the band.”

Roads and bridges In 1999, seven years after their legendary debut, Tang Dynasty released their second album Epic.

The response was lukewarm.

Under the shadow of death and with new band members, critics and fans complained the old spirit was no longer there.

Some said the band were past it.

“I could understand their feelings. Some of the criticism was justified. When fame and popularity came, the whole environment changed and we were not as pure as before,” says Zhao.

After Epic, Tang Dynasty seemed to fall into silence once more. The lead guitarist changed again and again. Nobody knew

whether they would release a third album.

Despite the pain of failure and loneliness, Zhao Nian found himself able to dig deep again.

“For so many years of ups and downs, I realized one should always learn and make progress.

Learning is everywhere in life.”

Zhao recalls a talk he once had with a janitor. He ran into the old man in a badminton field. To his surprise, he found this ordinary old guy could play the qin, a traditional Chinese instrument, very well. He could also read ancient Chinese music books. But the old man did not appear proud of his skills. He was just glad and satisfied with his profession as a gatekeeper.

“You should not focus on your music only, young man,” said the old man. “Sooner or later you will find there are many things beyond that in the world.”

“I was shocked and thought about his words a lot. It was true! For so many years, I had bound myself to music without looking to the outside world,” says Zhao.

He decided to learn how to use a computer and built a homepage of his own to communicate with drum lovers. He teaches himself English everyday as well.

He started attending English courses at Beijing New Orient School. When asked about his profession, the “rock star” just muttered “something about music” with a smile.

Some of these changes were daunting for a 40-year-old man.

At the beginning, when he tried to read a paragraph in his English book, even his best friends laughed at him. But he was determined.

He’s also expanding his musical influences. For years, Zhao focused on heavy metal only, but now he’s finding new inspiration with the rythms of African and Latin music.

Things are also going smoothly with Tang Dynasty. The band has found a new bass guitarist, and Laowu has returned. The band rehearse twice a week and they are busy lining up concerts and writing new songs again.

The third album is due to be released in 2004. Whether it can recreate the glory days of the band’s debut is not something Zhao Nian’s worried about.

“I cannot describe what our new album sounds like exactly. All I want is to bring all I have learnt in these years into it,” he says.

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LEGACY

JULY 11, 2003

E-mail: zhangxiaoxia@ynet.com

EDITOR: ZHANG XIAOXIA DESIGNER: LI SHI

By Zhang Huan t is impossible to delve into the mysteries of Taoism, feng shui, tai ji or traditional Chinese medicine without encountering the Zhen Wu, or Five Elements.

The concept that the universe is composed of five basic building blocks; wood, fire, earth, metal and water, each with a corresponding direction, is inextricably bound up in Chinese culture and philosophy, and is invariably manifest in traditional Chinese architecture.

In Taoist tradition, the term Zhen Wu has a secondary meaning, referring to something that can contain or render harmless evil spirits. In accordance with this belief, five structures built in and around Beijing during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties came to be key defenses against the influence of evil spirits.

Wood East is the corresponding direction of the element wood. The Zhen Wu in the east was a section of Nanmu, a highly prized variety of timber from the laurel family, in the Royal Timber Mill outside the city wall of Guangqumen.

It was here that timber was prepared for building the royal palaces of the Ming Dynasty. Because it was believed that the timber leaving the mill was imbued with supernatural powers, the mill became known as the Sacred Timber Mill.

The section of Nanmu wood at the mill measured more than 23 meters in length and over two meters in diameter. In 1758, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty wrote the Song of Sacred Timber, detailing the

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The bell was cast during Emperor Zhu Di’s reign in the Ming Dynasty, as both a symbol of the emperor’s courage and intelligence, and a mark of respect for fallen soldiers. The bell measures 6.95 meters in height, four meters in diameter and weighs 26.5 tons. Both the interior and exterior surfaces of the bell are inscribed with more than 100 Buddhist scriptures containing over 230,000 characters. The script is believed to be based on the writing of ancient calligraphy master Shen Du. The big bell was originally cast and kept in a bell foundry near the back entrance of Beihai Park. It was later moved to Wanshou Temple and finally to Juesheng Temple (the Big Bell Temple), which was built in the Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace Qing Dynasty. To move the bell, wells were dug every quarter kilometer along the route, and during mid-winter, water was poured onto the road, which quickly froze. Logs were then placed under the bell and it was slid, relatively effortlessly, to its new home. In 1985, the Big Bell Temple was renamed the Museum of Ancient Bells.

Water There are two views as to what the Zhen Wu of the north was: some historians hold that it was The Taoist concept Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace, while of the five elements others maintain that it was the Huitong TemAccording to Taoism, Yin and Yang are the two co-existing forces in the world. ple on north bank of Jishuitan Lake.

Yin is the feminine and negative force; it Kunming Lake was originally known contrasts and complements Yang, which is as West Lake, and also Weng Hu, after characterized as masculine and positive. Taothe nearby Weng Mountain. In the ists hold that the physical universe is composed of five basic elements: metal, wood, Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong rewater, fire and earth, all of which carry an named the mountain Wanshou, or abstract meaning besides their literal inlongevity, to celebrate the birthterpretation, and that the five elements day of his mother, and the lake can reinforce and neutralize each other when placed in a cerwas renamed Kunming Lake, tain order. after a story about Han Dynasty Emperor Liu Che, who dug a lake to train his navy, which eventually conquered Kunming State in today’s Yunnan Province. By renaming it Kunming Lake, Qianlong was expressing the wish that his reign would be as strong as that of the Han Dynasty.

According to the second view, the Memorial Temple of Huitong built on the west bank of Jishuitan Lake in the Ming Dynasty was the Zhen Wu of the north. This used to be the main dock of the Tongzhou Canal during the Yuan Dynasty, when Guo Shoujing, an expert on water conservancy and astronomy, channeled water from Baifu fountain into Beijing and connected the Grand Canal with the Tongzhou Canal.

At that time, Jishuitan Lake was wide and heavily trafficked by ships, but in the Ming Dynasty, the waterways became silted up and fell into disrepair. Huitong Temple was constructed to deter evil spirits from harming the water and the canal.

Jingshan behind the During the 1970s, Jishuitan Lake was drained and Forbidden City Huitong Temple demolished to make way for the construction of the subway loop line.

Earth Earth equates to the center, and the corresponding Zhen Wu is Jingshan, the hill behind the Forbidden City.

Jingshan was originally a small hill on which stood Yanchun Tower, during the Yuan Dynasty. When the Forbidden City was constructed in the Ming Dynasty, the earth excavated to create the canals and lakes around it was used to form Wansui (Longevity) Mountain, necessitated by the geomantic theories of fengshui.

Heaping the earth over the old tower of the Yuan Dynasty was seen by the Ming rulers as symbolically burying the Yuan Dynasty. Also, the mountain lies at the junction of the north-south and east-west axes of ancient Beijing, and so represented stability and control over the nation.

However, in 1644, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty killed himself at the foot of Wansui Mountain, and in 1655, Huang Taiji, the new Qing emperor, renamed it Jingshan. During the rule of Emperor Qianlong, Jingshan was enlarged and five pavilions were built on the mountain.

Photos by Zhuang Jian

Tracing the Five Elements in Ancient Beijing

Big Bell at Juesheng Temple

history of the wood, and ordered a pavilion be built to house a stone tablet on which the words of the song were carved. This tablet was rediscovered in 1985.

The mill itself fell into disrepair after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and what remained of it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

Fire Fire equates with south, hence the southern Zhen Wu was the Yan Dun, or Smoke Mound, outside the city wall of Yongdingmen in the southwest of Beijing.

The Smoke Mound was a beacon tower, in which a fire was lit to sound the alarm during wars in ancient times. First built during the construction of Dadu, as Beijing was known at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), it was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty in the shape of a pyramid, with a flight of 45 steps from the bottom to the top, measuring 19 meters in height.

In the Qing Dynasty, the Yan Mound was renovated again and a pavilion housing a stone pillar inscribed with two articles by Emperor Qianlong was added. The two articles recorded events and folk customs from the vicinity and the construction survey of the capital, and so became known as an important historical record of the area. The Qing emperors held ceremonies here to offer sacrifices to the gods of fire and water up until 1900.

Metal West corresponds with metal and so the Zhen Wu of the west was the big bell in Juesheng Temple, known as the King of Ancient Bells.

The ‘Smoke Mound’ of Yongdingmen

PHENOMENA E-mail: zhangxiaoxia@ynet.com

JULY 11, 2003 EDITOR: ZHANG XIAOXIA YU SHANSHAN

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DESIGNER: PANG LEI

Damning Dream Houses Yang Mian targets urban living ideals in new show

By Yu Shanshan eal estate developers in Beijing and throughout the country have got rich over the past decade selling a dream, the idea that the perfect home in a carefully gardened, sun-drenched complex is the ticket to happiness. Nowhere are these property-fueled dreams pitched harder than in the cheery computer-generated schemes showcased on the walls around residential complexes in construction throughout the city.

It is these synthetic ideals that have inspired the works of Chengdu, Sichuan Provincebred artist Yang Mian in the show Made In Beijing — Stage 1: Paintings at the Red Gate Gallery, which will run until July 23. The exhibition is the second in his Ideal Uptown Standard series, the first of which was held in Chengdu in 2001 and the last of which will be staged in Shanghai this fall. All three focus on urban development in these cities, movements away from tradition and the rot at the heart of the real estate boom.

Illusions of happiness, particularly those foisted upon the public in advertisements of all sorts, have been the subject of Yang’s critical artistic eye since 1997. In subsequent works, he has reinterpreted images from everyday ads, tweaking or obscuring them to show their falsehood. “In my paintings, a smile is only a mask and an indicator of the distance between reality and dreams.

The more brilliant the smile, the further it is from reality and the higher a standard it sets,” he said last Saturday at the gallery, shortly before the opening of the exhibition.

Yang’s first show in Beijing, Beauty Standard, held in the Courtyard Gallery in 1999, caused a stir with its sarcastic and critical takes on images of “ideal” womanhood. The paintings were exaggerated versions of the women portrayed in ads for beauty products, their plastic smiles and unnatural sheens particularly clear.

This time, Yang hopes to pop a bubble in the real estate industry’s projections of dreams of the perfect home as shown in computer-created mock-up models lining the blue walls of construction sites all over town.

The oil paintings in Made In Beijing — Stage 1: Paintings are near copies of some such posters, yet all are hazy and

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Beijing House Standards No.7, 2003, Oil on canvas, 180×120 cm

Impressions of the Land

By Zhang Huan The earth is on showcase at the Mainland Artists Gallery in the Jinzhan Tulip Garden, following Saturday’s opening of a solo exhibition of works by landscape painter Wang Lu and an accompanying show of landscape oils by over 80 other artists.

Wang, 67, is considered the top contemporary Chinese landscape painter, according to exhibition literature, and his works have won international acclaim and awards.

Over 60 of his landscape oils are on display in the show, representing different periods of Wang’s career. Most are painted from an omniscient perspective, giving them a sense of vastness and movement. Moreover, whether the subject is a river, mountain, trees or houses, Wang imbues his works with personal feelings and a tangible passion and warmth through their vivid colors and strong lines.

The other exhibit showcases almost 140 works by masters such as Feng Fasi and Wei Qimei as

Riverside Homes by Wang Lu

well as young painters like Yin Rongsheng and Wei Zuyin. Most are relatively recent creations and their themes and techniques vary greatly even within the range of landscape work.

Where: Mainland Artists Gallery, Jinzhan Tulip Garden, Dongwei Road, Jinzhan town, Chaoyang, When: till July 25, Tel: 8431 3204

Beijing House Standards No. 4 (above), 2003, Oil on canvas, 150×200 cm, and No. 2 (left), 180×120 cm.

partly obscured by what looks like a pastel mist.

These works are tied to the rest in his “standards of beauty” series with their candy-colored pink, green, blue and yellow hues. However, every seemingly cheery building is cut by a deepcolored line that looks like a wound in the canvas. According to Yang, the slashes of color are intended to break the idealistic illusions of his subjects “and make it clear that standards of beauty are relative.”

Yang said some people have told him they think his works are pretty, somewhat to his chagrin. “I want to make people see these things are not beautiful, to show them we are suffering as we lose our traditional ways of life, including our architecture and our culture,” he explained.

His passion for protection and analysis goes beyond simply raising questions through his work. “I hope these works will serve as a media and platform for discussions with both intellectuals and real state developers about the cultural and ecological problems in the ideal uptown standard we have

established,” Yang wrote in his statement for the debut of this exhibition. Towards that aim, for his Made in Chengdu show held in that city last July, he invited local real estate businessmen, architects, and homebuyers to a discussion to talk about the nature of contemporary architecture in that city.

As he surveyed modern buildings in Chengdu, Beijing and Shanghai, Yang’s critical eye fell on a more general issue.

“In my three “Made in...” shows, visitors are likely to notice that buildings from all three places look almost the same,” he said, raising the issue of originality and the near negation of traditional design elements in the homogenous architecture of this age.

The Red Gate Gallery, which resides inside the Dongbianmen Watchtower, built in the Qing Dynasty, is a perfect venue for his purposes. “It’s a city landmark that has undergone a modern transformation,” he said.

At the same time, the Made in Beijing show includes one adinspired painting Yang created this year, part of a larger plan.

He explained, “I want to paint five such pictures every year.

After many years, you may be able to notice slight differences between pictures from different times, that would represent changes in pop culture and people.”

The second part of the current show, Made in Beijing — Part 2: Installations, was delayed due to SARS, and has been rescheduled to January 2004, also at the Red Gate Gallery.

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JULY 11, 2003

SPOTLIGHT EDITOR: ZHAO PU

E-mail: feonazh@ynet.com

New Brand for Music Chart

By Dong Nan he Pepsi Music Chart was formally launched in 76 cities around China Monday. Songs listed on the chart are rotating on over 300 TV channels every day.

In its former incarnation as Enlight Media’s Music Chart, the annual awards ceremony was known among fans as “China’s Grammy Awards.” According to Enlight, the cooperation with Pepsi will help internationalize the chart.

“The cooperation with Pepsi

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Pop stars toast the new chart

Beautiful Mission

By Nebula Dong A film titled Mei Li Ren Wu (Love Mission) opens in Beijing cinemas last Friday. The light-hearted comedy is the first new Chinese film to screen since the SARS epidemic was declared beaten.

The film pairs up Miriam Yeung and Daniel Ng again, in a Cinderella story about a young policewoman fresh out of the academy. It is the second installment in

the Love Undercover series directed by Hong Kong director Joe Ma Wai-ho. Love Undercover III is scheduled for release next year.

“The ‘love mission’ of our film is to make moviegoers happy and laugh. I believe love and a happy heart are as important as a clean environment to create a healthy life,” Ma said at a press conference for the film’s opening in Shanghai last Thursday.

is sure to improve the progress of Chinese pop music,” said Enlight Media president Wang Changtian at a press conference earlier this month.

The Music Chart held a large-scale performance in Beijing at the end of last month and another in Hong Kong on July 2, featuring top pop acts such as Na Ying, Guo Feng, Anita Mei and Sammi Cheung.

Current chart toppers include latest releases by Zhou Xun, Chen Lin and Lu Yi.

Rock Review Muma (1999) Recommendation: Mei You Sheng Yin de Fang Jian (A Silent Room), Wu Bu (Dance) Yellow Star (2003) Recommendation: Fei Fei Run, Mei Li de Nan Fang (Beautiful South), Yellow Star

A Melancholy Return

By Dong Nan Some three years after the release of their self-titled debut, Muma (Wooden Horse), hailed by their record company Modern Sky as “a band with the potential of rock legends,” are back with a new EP, Yellow Star.

Fans and critics alike are eager to compare the dark and tragic songs of the four-piece, gothic inspired Muma with Joy Division.

Certainly the deep voice of lead singer Mumaia bears more than a passing resemblance to that of Ian Curtis. An obvious point of comparison is the six-minute A Silent Room from the first album,

a requiem to fading youth, with the line, “Conceal your sadness, and vanish in the passing of time.

Die of ecstasy in a scornful moment.”

The new release retains Muma’s dark style, and loss of innocence, death of youth and love tearing us apart remain favorite themes, but there are also touches of lightness, here and there.

Standout numbers are the title track, Yellow Star, a raging, grunge epic, of which Mumaia said “is for ourselves”; the haunting Fei Fei Run, a love song with a beautiful piano accompaniment, and Great Performer.

WORLDWIDE

Barry White died on July 4, aged 58

Fans Celebrate Barry White in Los Angeles About a hundred fans and friends of late soul singer Barry White celebrated the life and music of the larger-than-life icon in a Los Angeles park on Monday, three days after he lost a battle with kidney disease.

As a vehicle blared White compositions like Love’s Theme and Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up, the all-ages black crowd danced and sang at Leimert Park near downtown, recalling a native son who never forgot his humble roots.

White, who was 58 when he died, grew up in nearby southcentral Los Angeles, occasionally getting into trouble with the law before becoming one of the biggest—professionally and literally — soul stars of the 1970s. He remained active in community affairs, and even sponsored local kids’ baseball teams.

(Reuters)

Simon Cowell , the American Idol

Miriam Yeung and Daniel Ng in Love Mission

Moviegoers Surveyed

By Dong Nan The State Administration of Radio, Film and TV conducted a nationwide survey Wednesday last week, handing out over 2,000 questionnaires to cinemagoers.

The survey, the first of its kind, was divided into two sections. The first focused on watching films in a cinema, the second, on movie-viewing at home. Questions ranged in subjects from what people thought about cinema design, to a proposed film rating system, to free-to-air verses

subscription TV. Commenting on the question about a film rating system, Wu Ke, vice president of the State Administration of Radio Film and TV told Beijing Youth Daily on the day of the survey, “Since the National People’s Congress proposed that such a system be introduced this March, we must conduct research to determine the best way of formulating it. We believe it is important to solicit opinions from the general public, not only from artists and experts.”

Line up: Vocals, guitar: Mumaia Bass: Cao Cao Drums: Hu Hu Keyboards: Feng Lei

DESIGNER: PANG LEI

Simon Cowell Says Yes to More American Idol Acerbic “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell has signed on to do three more installments of the hit TV reality search for a pop star.

The British panelist, whose cutting comments to wannabe singers became the show’s linchpin, had earlier voiced reservations about returning because of his commitments in Britain as a pop music producer.

But Fox Television said on Tuesday Cowell had reached a three-year deal to remain on “Idol” as well as develop new projects of his own for the network.

(Reuters) “Pirates” Aims to Defy Buccaneer Curse A look at the scurvy history of many pirate-themed films

would be enough to shiver the timbers of even the most resolute Hollywood moviemaker.

But Disney is still taking its second gamble in two years on a big-budget buccaneer story.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl sails into theaters on a strong gust of nostalgia from fans of the longtime Disney amusement park ride. Coupled with its supernatural special-effects battles and satiric take on the genre’s conventions, that could be enough to turn the tide in its favor. (AP)

Johnny Depp, a cast member in the film

Charlie’s Angels Don’t Care About Box Office Hollywood actresses Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu said Tuesday they didn’t care how much their film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle makes at the box office or whether it matches the success of its predecessor.

“It doesn’t mean anything to us,” Diaz said in an interview with journalists in Berlin ahead of the German premiere of the Columbia Pictures film.

“I’m not interested in breaking records.”

(Reuters) Elvis’ Tooth, Hair for Sale on EBay It’s a lucky day for anyone who’s ever wanted to own a piece of Elvis Presley. A tooth from the mouth of The King himself is being auctioned on eBay. The tooth was in the possession of Presley’s former fiancee, Linda Thompson, until it went to the Elvis Presley Museum. The museum later sold the tooth.

The auction also includes a lock of Presley’s hair that was saved from his haircut upon joining the military and a gold record for Love Me Tender.

(Reuters)

Elvis Presley

SHOPPING E-mail: jianrong@ynet.com

Nifty Knickers

By James Liu espite its small size, Fogal in the China World Shopping Mall is perhaps the best place in the city to shop for top-of-the line underwear. It is literally wall-to-wall with quality products imported from Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and other distant makers of unmentionables.

New arrivals for this summer are exquisite pantyhose, panties, briefs and corselets.

“Our trend for this year is simplicity and excellence,” said shop manager Judy Tang. “It might sound crazy to spend several thousand yuan on one bra, but you’ll feel the difference when you put it on.”

Pantyhose comes in a wide range of over 80 shades and different lengths, but all at premium prices of 300 to 600 yuan per pair.

“We suggest Chinese women try on any products they like before they make a purchase because there are some differences in Chinese and European sizes,” said Tang.

Among the racier numbers for this summer are lingerie made with ultra-light materials, such as the Nude, Charme, Romanza and Retina lines.

Where: L118A, China World Trade Center Open: 10:30 am – 8:30 pm; 12 am – 8 pm on Sunday Tel: 6505 4240

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JULY 11, 2003

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EDITOR: JIAN RONG SUN MING DESIGNER: PANG LEI

Tiny House of Tacky Art

By Salinda Five is literally a crowd in the store Shed Cabin near Xinjiekou. However, it is worth piling into the tiny shop to check out its unusual collection of paintings, jewelry, scarves and pottery.

Several of the art-inspired goods take their cues from more abstract styles, such pictures on the wall (20-50 yuan) that only offer outlines of their subjects or have no subjects at all. A copper sculpture of an old man playing the trumpet (200 yuan) stands out as his body is not to be found, perhaps a jazz-inspired move by the creator.

Copper is also the medium for another interesting object, known as a rong, which means mixing together (180 yuan). The piece is a man’s head on a woman’s body merged into one smooth whole.

The most expensive item in the store is a Zisha sheep priced at over 1,000 yuan.

Its whole body is covered with a layer of scale-shaped things applied by hand, still bearing the fingerprints of the maker.

Where: 19-3, Xinjiekou Waidajie Open: 9 am – 9 pm Tel: 6220 9559

Serious Shopping in Office Building

By Iris Miao If not for SARS and poor property management, the 28 small stores originally nestled in the four-storey No.2 Xiushui office building would probably be doing good business these days. While the 13 shops that remain cannot compete with the popular Ritan Office Building in terms of number, they can in terms of product quality and unusual taste.

Ms. Lin, a designer with a multi-cultural background, runs store No.204 on the second floor. The clothes on her shelves are Shoppers in store No.1 204 mostly her Photo by Ren Guangping former partners’ choices and very seasonal, such as heelless sandals made of linen, straw or cotton in a range of colors, skirts, T-shirts and blouses accented with lace or ornaments and small floral summer dresses made of cotton, most of which fetch 200 to 300 yuan. Lin herself is more responsible for the items imported from India that dominate the center of her store, such as a tablecloth that could double as an exotic scarf, and trendy items such as hand-decorated jeans, bracelets and necklaces.

Also worth checking out are the Rong Hairdressing Studio on the first floor, run by Dongzi, a graduate in design of the Beijing Film College, the handbag store on the second floor, and the scarf store on the four floor.

Where: No.2 Xiushuijie Building, opposite the west entrance of the St. Regis Hotel Hours: 10-7pm, 7 days a week

Bouquet of Bags

By Salinda Goods from the Thai brand NaRaYa take the floral prints that are all the rage this summer and really go with it. The shelves of the brand’s store in Oriental Plaza are stuffed with bags large and small, made of such materials as sateen, silk and cotton, many covered in floral designs in a rainbow of colors.

Styles vary, with travel bags, handbags, and smaller pouches available. One clever and creative offering is a fat case that looks like a pumpkin (80 yuan) capable of swallowing a lot of stuff. Other bags come with striped or plaid designs, or feature whimsical elephant images on bases of white and blue. The elephants are also available on their own as stuffed animals (50-80 yuan) with movable arms and legs.

Besides the bags, NaRaYa offers exquisite cloth containers for storing jewelry (50-100 yuan), fruit (35 yuan) or tissues (50 yuan), as well as small items such as tablecloths (20 yuan), picture frames (80 yuan) and even tiny toothpick pouches (19 yuan).

Where: BB40, Oriental Plaza, 1 East Chang’an Avenue, Dongcheng Open: 9:30 am – 9:30 pm Photos by Peng Jianwei

Photo provided by Fogal

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FOOD

JULY 11, 2003

Email: jianrong@ynet.com

EDITOR: JIAN RONG XIAO RONG DESIGNER: PANG LEI

T

he present state of the area around the West gate to Chaoyang Park is not exactly what the planners supposedly had in mind when the area became something from nothing a few years ago.

Originally set to compete with the Sanlitun Bar street, the area is now known less for its bars, despite the pervasive popularity of the Goose & Duck pub and strong new-comer Black Sun Bar II, than for its restaurants. On weekends, parking and table space is at a premium at the several restaurants that line the street and offer a surprising range of cuisines, from typical Chinese dishes to Italian, Cantonese, Guizhou-style, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese food.

Bifengtang squid, 26 yuan

bifengtang style, meaning stirfried with a crunchy mix of breadcrumbs, fried minced garlic and chilies.

Among the many other good choices are foil-wrapped chicken wings (zhibao jichi) and steamed dishes, especially fish, as “Steaming is the best way to cook fish because it keeps the natural flavor,” according to manager Wu Lizhi. Steamed grass carp (qingzheng caoyu) goes for 40 yuan per kilogram and steamed chicken costs 20 yuan.

The eatery has an open area in the back that allows 20 tables of diners to enjoy the fresh air and escape the noise and smoke of the inside.

Open: 24 hours Tel: 6593 1078 Average cost: 50 yuan per person

Menglu Japanese Restaurant

By James Liu This unassuming Japanese eatery is about a 10 minute walk north of Chaoyang Park’s West gate and easy to pass by. While its slightly grungy interior and plain exterior don’t look the part, it is a great place to get stuffed to the gills on tasty, if not totally authentic, Japanese food.

The restaurant has a full menu with some surprises, such as California roll sandwiches, available a la carte, or through three levels of all-you-can eat meals that cost 68 yuan, 98 yuan and 138 yuan. The basic level offers a decent range of sushi and sashimi, tempura shrimp and vegetables, grilled eel and less conventional

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Chaoyang Park

East Fourth Ring Road

Chaoyang Park Western Road

Diverse Dining at Chaoyang Park East Third Ring Road

Richang Schiller’s Restaurant

By James Liu This restaurant occupies the first floor of what used to be one of the Chaoyang Park “Big Three” — Schiller’s 3. The food served, however, is a pure reproduction of that cooked at the first Richang restaurant, a dingy, always-packed establishment near Dongdan that has been dishing up delicious Cantonese food for years. The food at the Richang Schiller’s is of identical quality to the original, while its environs are a vast improvement.

The menu is stacked with tasty choices, starting with the sauted dish in iron pot (chi chi) series. Spare ribs, chicken, eel or beef cooked this style are delicious and priced reasonably between 25 and 30 yuan. Another popular series of dishes are cooked

occupying three floors, with open seating on the first and private rooms upstairs. Overall, its menu is rather normal for this corner of unusual eating, and only time will tell if it has what it takes to compete.

Open: 11 am - 3 am Tel: 6594 0986 Average cost: 50 yuan per person

Nongzhan Nanlu

1 Chu Xiang Lao Cai Restaurant 2 West Gate to Chaoyang Park 3 Black Sun

offerings such as bacon and asparagus rolls, along with bottomless draft beer, soft drinks or tea. For 30 yuan more per person, diners can order the full range of sashimi, as well as enjoy imported beer.

Another 40 yuan per person allows access to everything on the menu except for sea urchin, including sake and plum wine.

This is the essence of the Menglu experience. While the food is tasty enough, it is not completely authentic and pales in comparison to that at the city’s elite Japanese restaurants. However, if the idea of slowing working through plate after plate of fresh salmon, crisp tempura shrimp and eel-cucumber rolls appeals, Menglu is the place to do it.

The menu is all in Chinese, but easy to order from because every dish is shown in washedout photos.

Open: 11 am - 11 pm Tel: 6507 4033 Average cost: 70 yuan per person Dongzhimen Yangxiezi

By Zhao Hongyi First established in 1993 on Ghost Street, this restaurant fled the destruction of that area and landed at its Chaoyang Park locale two years ago.

The restaurant’s huge sign makes its specialty very clear - yangxiezi, sheep bones slow-cooked in a heady broth of Chinese herbal medicines, bamboo shoot and vegetables for over eight hours. The meaty soup is served in clay pots (15 yuan) or as hot pot (38 yuan), large enough to satisfy three or four for dinner.

Yangxiezi tastes delicious, but its appearance somewhat betrays its humble origins.

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Gisa Richang Schiller’s Restaurant Korean for All Seasons Dongzhimen Yangxiezi

According to restaurant manager Ma Xinmin, “In the old days, poor people who could not afford meat boiled bone soup to give to their kids at festivals. That soup was so delicious, though, that it ended up being a staple in families all over.”

Diners not excited about the prospect of slurping on sheep spine fear not, there are plenty of other good options on the menu at this restaurant.

Recommended are the fried sheep ribs (yangpai, 20 yuan), tasty and presented in a portion large enough to feed two.

Sheep alternatives include fried whole fish (zha yu, 28 yuan), spicy shrimp (20 yuan) and boiled river crab ( seasonal prices).

The restaurant enjoys a large following, in no small part to its large and comfortable outside beer-garden eating area, as well as its 24-7 operating hours, breakfast and afternoon tea menus and home delivery service.

Open: 24 hours Tel: 6586 1301 Average cost: under 50 yuan per person

Wuchangyu (left) and other Hubei specialties

Chu Xiang Lao Cai Restaurant

By Hou Mingxin This newly-opened restaurant is the first branch of a popular chain in Hubei Province and offers some characteristic dishes of its home. Though not a separate school of Chinese food, Hubei cuisine is a tantalizing mixture of techniques and flavors from both north and south with some popular dishes all its own.

Among the Hubei specialties on offer is Wuchang fish (wuchangyu, 28 yuan), a delicious, traditional dish that happened to be a favorite of Chairman Mao, as he expressed in a poem published in the 1960s. Another house special is nongjia weitang (28 yuan), a family-style soup made of pork ribs and lotus root that is soothing and delicious.

This restaurant is huge,

Korean for All Seasons

By Joel Kirkhart Next to the Yangxiezi restaurant stands the Chun Xia Qiu Dong restaurant, whose name translates directly to Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. It is easily identified by a blue neon sign in the window that reads “Korean Traditional Restaurant”.

The inside is quite comfortable, with a high wooden ceiling and tables with embedded grills all formed into their own private areas through frosted glass and wood dividers.

As at many Korean restaurants, before you even order, the waitstaff bring over small dishes of pre-prepared treats such as kimchi, spicy picked cabbage, and recently a plate of jimaocai greens served with an amazing dressing that should be requested if not brought to the table.

The photo-filled menu starts with a selection of meats than can be ordered cooked or grilled at your table. The waitstaff push the kalbi, fresh short-rib meat (68 yuan), which comes out tasty and nice and rare, but better is the regular bulgolgi, marinated beef (68 yuan) that is served with lettuce and fresh vegetables for wrapping.

Supplements or alternatives to the meat include a range of Korean-style hot pots, known as jun gol (35 yuan), among which the seafood is a good choice, bean paste soup (35 yuan), a spicy version of miso, and seafood and onion pancakes (40 yuan), filled with squid, fake crab and onion, though not very flavorful. A summer favorite is cold noodles, which fetch prices as high as 35 yuan per bowl here, although they are remarkably tasty.

In general, though Spring, Summer, Autumn Winter’s prices are a bit high for its solid but not great Korean fare, it is more than good enough to be a viable player in the competitive Chaoyang Park eating landscape.

Open: 9:30 am - 10:30 pm Tel: 6593 6599/6352 Average cost: 50 yuan per person Eating with Gusto at Gisa

By Sarah Bai One of the first restaurants

to open in this area, Gisa has outlasted some of its competitors thanks to its comfortable feel and excellent Italian fare. Prices are not cheap but generally fair for the quality of food, making it one of the best places to eat Italian in the city.

The extensive menu is set out in traditional style, progressing from antipasti, to first courses, soups, wood-oven baked pizzas, main courses and, of course desert, running the range from classic dishes like osso bucco to less conventional offerings.

Among the first course pastas, the cheese ravioli in beef ragout and fresh cream (ravioli al formaggi con ragout di manzo e panna, 65 yuan) is a genuine winner, the pasta fresh and tender and the sauce rich and buttery, and equally delicious is the fresh pasta with Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, fresh marjoram and tomato sauce (amori con salsicca, ricotta, maggiorana, pomodoro, 65 yuan), probably one of the tastiest takes on macaroni and cheese ever. Less satisfying was the ravioli stuffed with

Pasta with pesto, 65 yuan

eggplant, goat cheese, tomato sauce and fresh mint (ravioli di melanzane con caprino pomodoro e menta, 60 yuan), which had a wonderful sauce, but disappointing pasta that was undercooked and underflavored, the stuffing needing a little more cheese zing.

Recent specials focus on seafood, such as the zuppa di pesce (70 yuan), generous pieces of cuttlefish, mussels, clams, salmon and other fruit du mer in a delicious red broth. Similar ingredients turn up in the spaghetti al catoccio (70 yuan), which comes impressively wrapped in tin foil but tasted rather ordinary.

For main courses, it pays to stick with the meat, such as the mixed grill (grigliata mista con salsa ala salmorigghiu, 85

yuan), a generous serving of tender chicken breast, fresh sausages and rare, tasty medallions of beef all in a light olive oil lemon sauce. Even better is the grilled beef fillet with arugula and salmurigghlu sauce (filetto di manzo con

rucola e salmorigghiu, 95 yuan), a fine hunk of beef tenderloin cooked nice and rare, served over greens, making it an elegant and very satisfying way to enjoy steak.

Of the deserts, the ricotta cheesecake (35 yuan) deserves special mention. It is far from typical cheese cake, as it is chewy, not soft, and not too sweet, rich with the flavor of fresh ricotta. And then there’s the coffee. Even if you can’t sleep the rest of the night, do not leave without trying the amazing espresso. Overall, Gisa is very impressive, not only the classiest joint in the Chaoyang Park West gate area, but also one of the best Italian restaurants in town.

Open: 10:30 am - 2:30 pm, 6 - 11 pm Tel: 6594 0938 Average cost: 150 yuan per person

Black Sun Rising

By Joel Kirkhart Before or after a meal, when you want to drink around Chaoyang Park, the newly opened Black Sun II bar is a great choice. This second branch of a Sanlitun South Bar Street institution keeps the low prices that made the original so popular, but offers far more comfortable surroundings.

Down the long corridor from the front door is a large room with a pool table and two football tables and lots of comfy basic chairs and tables. The bar’s trump card is its large patio area, most of which is covered, but enough is open that the whole space can get fresh air.

Drinks are dirt cheap, with bottles of Qingdao going for 10 yuan and imported beers for 15 yuan, decent measures of whiskey and other standards for 10 to 15 yuan each, and even the same prices for most cocktails. While the mixed drinks are clearly not concocted by a master barman, they are strong and good enough to make them a real bargain.

The menu is rounded out by a large selection of food, ranging from simple beef kebabs (6 yuan each), to sandwiches (25-30 yuan), pizza (all priced below 42 yuan) and snacks like fried cheese sticks (24 yuan) and Mexican potato nachos (20 yuan). While it has yet to draw the hordes that collect at the Goose & Duck pub on a regular basis, Black Sun shows real promise.

Open: 4 pm - 2 am Tel: 6593 6912 Photos By Ren Guangping

INFO

JULY 11, 2003

E-mail: jianrong@ynet.com

From Chang’an to Beijing Artists Han Shuli, Wei Ligang, Shen Wei and Zhong Rukun look at the shift from the golden age of China’s ancient capital to the cultural blossoming of the modern version.

Where: Creation Gallery, Ritan Donglu, Chaoyang When: July 14 August 1, 10 am – 7 pm Admission: free Tel: 8561 7570

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EDITOR: JIAN RONG SHAN JINLIANG DESIGNER: LI SHI

Exhibitions National Treasure Return Sixteen national treasures have returned to China after spending decades outside of the country. The two most valuable are a Buddha head from the Northern Wei Dynasty and a sculpted head of Guanyin from the Tang Dynasty.

Where: lobby of the Beijing Hotel When: 24 hours Admission: free Tel: 6513 7766

Environmental Protection Sculpture Exhibition Over 130 works from all over the country are on display on Wangfujing Dajie. The sculptures are made from rubbish such as old bottles and batteries in keeping with the theme of protection of the environment.

Where: Wangfujing Dajie When: till August 3

Language Exchange Liu Fengye’s Oil Paintings Liu Fengye’s oil paintings show soldiers from the Cultural Revolution and present stories from that tumultuous era.

Where: Qin Gallery, Huaweili Enjoy Paradise1-1E (north of Beijing Curio City) Chaoyang When: till July 31, 9:30 am – 7 pm Admission: free Tel: 8779 0461 Prayers from the Grassland Four artists from Inner Mongolia, Wang Haiyan, Zhang Peng, Han Xingchao and Song Haijun, will show their latest works that focus on their native geography and devotion.

Where: New Millennium Art Gallery, Diyang Building, 2 Dongsanhuan Beilu When: till July 29, 9 am – 6 pm Admission: free Tel: 8453 6193 Photo Exhibition Zhou Hai’s photographs portray people of different economic classes and the discrepancies between them.

Where: 798 Photo Gallery, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu When: till July 15, 10 am – 6:30 pm Tel: 6438 1784

A Chinese girl teaching in a middle school seeks a native English speaker for language exchange.

Email: Mituanzi@sohu.com

Lectures Slide Show: Ecology and Environmental Protection in Guizhou Deng Yi, a veteran of the environmental protection field, will introduce the diverse ecology of Guizhou Province and the low living standards of its multiethnic population. Embroidered works made by girls from Guizhou will be sold on site. In Chinese.

Where: Xingshecongcong Book bar, North of National Library, Nandajie Zhongguancun When: July 11, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Admission: free Tel: 6846 3550

Jams

Lucky Band Tonight the band TOOKOO takes the stage, and tomorrow night mystery bands will crank out the metal.

Where: Get Lucky, 500 meters east of the south gate of University of International Business and Economics, Chaoyang When: July 11, 9:30 pm Admission: 20 yuan Tel: 6429 9109 The Loup is on Fire DJ Reno brings ragga and techno break beats that’ll have Haidian hopping.

Where: Loup Chante, east gate of Peking University, Haidian When: July 12, 9 pm Admission: free Tel: 6276 7355

Parties Fetish Party Beijing’s second ever fetish party is the chance to drop your inhibitions and live out your fantasies.

DJs Oro and Mickey will provide the soundtrack to what will surely be one of Beijing’s most intriguing nights.

Where: Vibes, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu When: July 11, 9 pm Admission: 50 yuan, including a theme drink Tel: 6437 8082 Bastille Day Party Celebrate France’s National Day and dance all night. Everything free.

Where: French Kindergarten beside the Belgium Embassy When: July 14, 8 pm Email: purenet8@yahoo.com Weekend Party Shake that thing at Club FM. Where: Ritan Park When: July 11,12, 9 pm Tel: 85622308

Performance Liyuan Theatre Come to enjoy the reopening of this top spot for Peking Opera.

Where: Qianmen Hotel, 175 Yong’an Lu, Xuanwu When: 7:30-8:45 pm, starting July 15 Tel: 63016688 Magic Resumes Magic will return to Chaoyang Theatre on July 16. The Hebei Magic Troupe will present shows twice every evening and reveal the secrets of Chinese traditional magical tricks on a small stage close to the audience.

Where: Chaoyang Theatre When: daily, 6 pm Admission: 120-200 yuan Tel: 6507 2421,672408222

Services Fashion Design The Beijing Sunny Wang fashion design studio offers totally individualized fashion designs.

Where: Taiyuanfang tea cafe, Nanlishilu, or Madami bar, Wangfujing When: every weekend or as otherwise scheduled Cost: 999-3,999 yuan for clothes including fabric Tel: 13911 520083 Email: art8@sohu.com

Music ‘Immortal Beethoven’ Season Finale Yu Long will conduct the China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus and China Central Opera House Chorus in a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Where: Forbidden City Concert Hall When: July 11, 7:30 pm Admission: 50-480 yuan Tel: 6559 8285

Auction Guardian Auction The 2003 Guardian Spring Auction will be held July 12-13 and feature paintings by famous artists including Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian, as well as porcelain, sculpture and ancient coins.

Where: Kunlun Hotel When: July 12-13, 9:30 am – 6 pm Tel: 6518 2315 Huachen Auction The two-day Huachen auction this weekend will offer paintings, porcelain, sculpture and ancient coins.

Where: Palace Hotel When: July 11-12, 9 am – 6 pm Tel: 6510 6330

Activities Painting Bamboo and Birds Chinese-Style Try your hand at manipulating brushes and applying painting on Chinese xuan paper. Teachers from the Central Academy of Fine Arts will show you how to create orchids, bamboo and birds in a few brush strokes. English translation provided.

Where: Lee’s Antique Carpets, Liangmaqiao Lu, near the 21st Century Hotel When: July 13, 2:30-4:30 pm Admission: adults 40 yuan, students 30 yuan Tel: 8462 2081 Summer Reading Elementary students of all reading abilities are invited to share in musical, art, writing, and storytelling activities and a free reading program. No registration required and all participants will receive an award.

Where: Elementary Library, International School of Beijing Shunyi When: July 11-12, 2:30 pm Tel: 8046 2345 ext 1416 Telecom and Technology Night This month’s Telecom and Technology Night will be hosted by BDA, the leading provider of strategy consulting services and independent research for China’s telecom and technology sectors. In English.

Where: 50th floor, Capital Mansion, 6 Xinyuannan Lu, Chaoyang When: July 16, 5:30 pm Admission: Members 250 yuan, guests 300 yuan, includes cocktails and a western set menu Tel: 8486 2255

Movies

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Directed by Jacques Demy, starring Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, Marc Michel, Ellen Farner, Mireille Perrey. It is the story of two young lovers who are torn apart when Guy is drafted and sent to Algeria for two years. When it turns out that their last night of love left Guinivieve pregnant, her mother pushes her into the arms of a rich jeweler... In French with Chinese subtitles.

Where: Space for Imagination, 5 Xiwangzhuang, Haidian When: July 12, 7 pm Admission: free Tel: 6279 1280 Er Mo Directed by Zhou Xiaowen, starring Ge Zhijun, Alia, Liu Peiqi, Zhang Haiyan. Er Mo, a present-day peasant woman, is driven by a singular drive to own a TV. She works day and night while taking care of her sickly husband and even sells her blood for some extra cash. In Chinese with English subtitles.

Where: Cherry Lane outdoor movies, Fountain Terrace, Hilton Hotel, 1 Dongfang Lu, Dongsanhuan Beilu When: July 11-12, 8:30 pm Admission: 50 yuan includes one beverage Tel: 6430 1398 Uomo d’Acqua Dolce Directed by Albanese, starring Antonio Albanese, Valeria Milillo, Antonio Petrocelli.

A soon-to-be-father develops amnesia after getting knocked on the head at the grocery store. He returns five years later to find his wife with another man, whereupon he launches a comic plan to win his family back. In Italian with English subtitles.

Where: Cultural Office of Italian Embassy When: July 17, 7 pm Admission: free Tel: 6532 2187

Sports Round Tower This hike heads to a round tower at the top of a mountain near the Great Wall, one side of which actually hangs over the valley below.

The way is steep, with some loose rocks and brush, but it’s worth the effort for the wonderful views. We’ll pass three other towers on the way to the round one, and hikers can go as far as they want before turning back.

Where: Miyun, north of Beijing When: July 13, meet 8 am outside Starbucks, return 5 pm Admission: adults 150 yuan, children 100 yuan Tel: 13701 003694 Email: bjhikers@yahoo.co.uk

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PLAN

JULY 11, 2003

E-mail: jianrong@ynet.com

EDITOR: JIAN RONG DESIGNER: LI SHI

A Defensive Outpost in Miyun Sculpting in Time

Imperial edict signed by Emperor Jiaqing

Photos by Sun Mingshun

By Chen Jie / Zhang Bo ocated 1.5 kilometers northeast of Miyun county seat, Tanying (㲕䇋) is one of only two regions of Beijing Municipality predominately inhabited by people of a minority nationality.

Although Tanying covers an area of only 2.73 square kilometers and is sparsely populated, it has a history imbued with romance and adventure, which impresses all those who visit.

Qing Dynasty Fortress of Beijing Known as Tanzhou during the Qing Dynasty, Miyun was a strategically important region for the Qing government, lying between the capital and Inner Mongolia.

Large armies were deployed to garrison the county, explaining why so many place names, such as Tanying and Bulaotun, end in ying or tun, both of which mean barracks.

Built in 1777, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Tanying Barracks was designed as a fortress and faces the south.

Surrounding the barracks is a sixmeter-high stone wall, two kilometers in length. There are three gates facing east, west and north along the city wall, and a stone bridge stands before each gate.

Most of the city wall has been demolished over time, with only one section remaining to the north of Tanying.

During the Qing Dynasty, the three command posts Kuixing Tower (㌞㾨㔆), Taiyang Palace (㲌䂕⹍) and Wanshou Palace (㶓㬺⹍), were built on the southeast, northeast and northwest of the fortress, comprising almost 5,000 rooms in total.

Located near the east gate, Yanwu Ting (䁾㹅㳝) was where soldiers conducted military drills, while target practice was conducted at Huoqi Ying (】㡘䇋) outside the north gate.

As soldiers were allowed to live with their family dependents in the

L

Qing Dynasty, a school was established to teach Chinese, Mongolian and the language of the Man (Manchurian) nationality. The school specialized in and became famous for its instruction in the martial arts.

As the major garrison in the vicinity of Beijing at that time, Tanying accommodated at its peak, some 2,000 Man and Mongolian soldiers, as well as 7,000 family dependents.

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the garrison fell into disrepair. By 1925, the remaining soldiers had all become civilians, and by 1948, there were only 700 people living there.

In August 1983, Tanying Man and Mongolian Autonomous Township was established, the first national minority township within Beijing Municipality.

Mu Jirong, a 75-year-old villager living in Tanying has preserved an Imperial edict issued by Qing Emperor Jiaqing in 1820, which was awarded to his grandfather, Mu Tenge, the chief commander of the garrison at that time.

“Tanying enjoyed a higher administrative level than Miyun in the old days, so each governor of Miyun would come to visit the chief commander in Tanying first before he took up his office,” says Mu Jirong.

Yexian Pagoda On the way to Miyun from Beijing, a pagoda atop Ye Mountain comes into view just the other side of Shunyi. Local people say that seeing the pagoda means you have arrived home.

This pagoda, called Yexian Pagoda (䄒㻪㰟), stands in Puji Temple (㠶イ 㯣), a Buddhist temple.

Originally built in 1039, during the Liao Dynasty, the two-storied Yexian Pagoda is octagonal in shape and is 10 meters tall.

There is an arched door on each level, facing south. Stones embossed with flower patterns surround the pagoda and the top is made of

embossed bricks, modeled after a wooden structure.

An antithetical couplet of the Qing Dynasty can be seen by the arched door of the lower floor. Engraved in stone, it describes the pagoda as a “juggernaut soldier” of the Tanying barracks.

Yexian Pagoda was destroyed in 1967, during the Cultural Revolution, since which over 40 pieces of pottery and some 70 coins of the Song Dynasty have been unearthed from the underground palace of the pagoda.

Recently, in an attempt to restore its original appearance, the local government invested three million yuan to rebuild the pagoda, using historical photographs and documents as a guide.

Mu Jirong and His Imperial Edict

Getting there: Buses from Dongzhimen Bus Station leave regularly for Miyuan, taking one hour and 40 minutes (10 yuan). Otherwise take train 2251 from Beijing Railway Station and get off at Miyun, which takes about one and a half hours. From the station take a mini bus or taxi to Tanying.

Museum Watch

By Guo Yuandan Beijing Ancient Coins Museum, at Zhenwu Temple, Deshengmen, boasts a collection of over one million coins from the past 4,000 years.

Included in the display are shell coins from the Yinshang Period (1700-1100 BC), paper currency of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and copper coins from the Republic of China (1912-1949).

Metal coins first appeared during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), with the development of commerce. Different coins Zhi Yuan Tong Xing Bao Chao, were used in different areas. In Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368 ) the north, coins were modeled on agricultural tools, such as the iron spade. Such coins, known as bu coins, were widespread in the Zhou, Zheng, Jin, and Wei dynasties. In the south, coins shaped like a fishing knife, called dao coins were used.

After China was unified under the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, round coins with a square hole were uniformly adopted, following Emperor Qin Shihuang’s belief that the sky was square and the earth was round. This model of coin was kept for some 2,000 years.

Da Guan Tong Bao, Also displayed in the museum Northern Song are some “folklore” coins. Folklore Dynasty (960-1127) coins were first minted in the Han Dynasty, and generally feature dragon or phoenix designs. These coins were issued not as legal tender, but as precious objects to be given as gifts or collected.

The museum also has a replica of a “money shop,” the precursor to the private bank, with the ancient notes and a balance used to weigh silver.

Beijing Ancient Coins Museum Yi Dao Ping Wu Qian, Wang Mang period (7-23 AD) “Wu Xing Da Bu” coin tree, North Zhou Dynasty (557-581)

Shell-shaped coin, Zhou Dynasty (1200-900BC)

Where: Deshengmen, Beierhuan Zhonglu, Xicheng Open: 8:30 am 4:30 pm Admission: 10 yuan Tel: 6201 8073

Photos provided by Beijing Ancient Coins Museum

“Lin” Bu, Warring States (770-256 BC)